Design, preparation, and characterization of hydrogen bonded supramolecular aggregates based on the cyanuric acid‐melamine lattice

Abstract

Molecular self‐assembly is described as a strategy for synthesizing large hydrogen‐bonded supramolecular aggregates that are based on the planar lattice formed of equimolar portions of cyanuric acid and melamine. The aggregates described in this paper contain four to ten individual molecules, are stabilized by networks of 18 to 54 hydrogen bonds, and have molecular weights in the range 2.7 to 6.5 kDa. Each of these aggregates has been characterized using ¹H NMR. spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and vapor pressure osmometry. Physical‐organic chemistry is used to (i) improve our criteria for the design of self‐assembling structures and (ii) develop techniques for characterizing non‐covalently bound aggregates in organic solution.