Understanding Supramolecular Interactions Provides Clues for Building Molecules into Minerals and Materials: a Retrosynthetic Analysis of Copper-Based Solids

The influence of non-covalent interactions on the crystal packing of molecules is well documented in the literature. Unlike molecular solids, crystal engineering of non-molecular solids is difficult to interpret as aggregation is complicated by the presence of neutral as well as ionic species and a range of forces operating, from weak hydrogen bonding to strong covalent interactions. In this perspective, we demonstrate for the first time the role of non-bonding interactions in the occurrence of oxide, hydroxide, or chloride linkages in oxides, hydroxychlorides, and chlorides of copper-based minerals and coordination polymers in terms of a mechanistic approach based on supramolecular retrosynthesis. The model proposed here visualizes the crystal nucleus as a supramolecular analogue of a transition state wherein appropriate tectons (chemically reasonable molecules) aggregate through non-bonding forces that can be perceived through well-known supramolecular synthons. The mechanistic approach provides chemical insights into the occurrence of different topologies and solid-state phenomena like polymorphism.