Attractive Noncovalent Interactions versus Steric Confinement in Asymmetric Supramolecular Catalysis.

ABSTRACT: The remarkable catalytic performance of enzymes stems from their ability to engage in precise noncovalent interactions (NCIs) within a sterically confined space. Supramolecular catalysis seeks to emulate and understand these strategies through the rational design of simple and controlled catalyst microenvironments. While both steric confinement and attractive interactions have been invoked as key to host activity, their relative contribution to rate enhancement and selectivity, as well as potential trade-offs, remains an outstanding question. Here, we address this question by systematically comparing two metal-organic supramolecular catalysts, which differ in the strength of their attractive noncovalent interactions and in their cavity volume. Our findings reveal that the catalyst with the

SUBMITTER: Craescu CV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12814166 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature