Chemistry Departmental Seminar – Kraig Wheeler, PhD

About the event

Speaker: Dr. Kraig Wheeler, Whitworth University

Host: Dr. Jack Zhang

Title: Expecting More From Quasiracemates

Abstract: Can the property of molecular shape be used to advantage as a predictive tool for molecular assembly? While other contributors to self-assembly have been used regularly, the role of molecular topology in organizing supramolecular arrays has received limited attention. Quasiracemic materials – constructed from pairs of near enantiomers – form due to the shape complementarity of the building blocks and offer important access to topologically directed self-assembly processes. This presentation describes the quasiracemic method to molecular assembly and examines homologous families of chiral small-molecule systems. By varying the molecular framework and the attached functional groups, outcomes from these studies underscore the significance and structural boundary of quasiracemic cocrystallization. Additionally, because quasircemates form rigorously asymmetric assemblies, efforts from our group have exploited this feature to advantage by designing chiral functions in materials. This work employs a multipronged approach, utilizing crystallography, lattice energy determinations, and the hot stage technique to provide essential insights into the concept of isostructurality and shape-based molecular recognition.