SUPRAMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND CATALYSIS

The PhD course in supramolecular chemistry and catalysis aims to expand students' knowledge by focusing their attention on the properties of molecules as molecular entities capable of interacting with each other to give aggregate systems of various types in which the supramolecule behaves as a distinct unit characterized by specific properties. The study of intermolecular interactions is fundamental to explain many of the chemical-physical properties of molecules, for the understanding of biological systems, for the development of sensors, for the understanding of selectivity-related phenomena, for the investigation of homogeneous and also heterogeneous catalysis, for the development of drug delivery systems and much more. It is therefore a very useful course as a complement to the students' chemical knowledge, in a transversal way to their research fields

The expected learning outcomes can be divided into the following specific aspects:
1. Knowledge and understanding
i) know the different types of weak interactions, the typical energy values involved, the geometric and electronic requirements for these intermolecular bonds to strengthen, understand the importance and relative weight of the various possible weak interactions for a molecule.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
i) knowing how to relate the different types of weak interactions to each other and connect them to the molecular structure in question and the medium in which these interactions are studied, ii) ability to correlate the structural properties of the molecules with their supramolecular properties and possible methods of investigation.
3. Ability to judge
i) ability to identify on the basis of partial information the functioning and molecular basis of even complex supramolecular systems, ii) ability to propose investigation methods or experiments capable of deepening and proving the existence of a certain intermolecular interaction.
4. Communication skills
Knowing how to communicate constructively with the teacher while always maintaining a high level of attention and chemical understanding, using the correct terminology and nomenclature, in the most concise but exhaustive way possible, with sufficient display security.
5. Learning skills
Knowing how to integrate the teaching material provided by the teacher with clear and concise personal notes.

In order to have a full understanding of the course it is preferable that the student has acquired the training objectives in particular of the basic courses of Organic Chemistry because it is required that the student is familiar with the reactivity of the functional groups, and General Chemistry as knowledge related to the structure and inorganic reactivity of complexes.

The course consists of:
-a first overview of weak interactions such as hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, dipole ion interaction, unsaturated system ion interaction, aromatic system interactions, Ch-pi interaction, halogen bond, hydrophobic effect.
- examples of receptors such as hosts for cationic, anionic and neutral guests are therefore illustrated
- examples of unimolecular and self-aggregated supramolecular systems are discussed in detail i) capable of stabilizing specific molecular structures inside them, ii) able to catalyze reactions without showing turnover and finally iii) examples of artificial supramolecular catalysts capable of accelerating chemical transformations and characterized by high turnover number are discussed, as true examples of mimetic systems of natural enzymes, the supramolecular catalysts par excellence
-several high impact publications in the field of supramolecular systems and catalysis will be discussed with the students to underline the importance of considering weak interactions as fundamental aspects of molecules and materials

Supramolecular chemistry, J.W. Steed and J.L. Atwood, Wiley
Supramolecular chemistry, P. Beer, P. Gale, D. Smith, Oxford Chemistry Primers
Supramolecular Catalysis, P.W.N.M. Van Leeuwen, Wiley

Multi-choice written exam (10-12 questions) and an oral evaluation during which the student will be asked to present and discuss a scientific publication with the aid of a presentation reporting the scientific results of colloidal nanometric systems and/or self-aggregating materials. This presentation will then be the starting point for the questions that will be addressed to the student in order to ascertain the level of understanding of the topic. The questions will aim at evaluating the in depth understanding of the supramolecular aspects of the scientific paper presented, paying attention to the clarity of the presentation and the proper use of terminology (see expected learning outcomes).

The course is organized in lectures (2 hours each) in the classroom with the aid of a projector and PowerPoint slides that will be provided to students and possibly uploaded to the moodle platform.
In order to stimulate the attention of students, the lecturer at the beginning of each lesson will recapitulate what was discussed in the previous lesson through some short questions aimed at ascertaining students' understanding of the topics (5-10 min).
On the University's "moodle" platform there are pdf files relating to the slides of the presentations projected during the lessons.

English

The lecturer is available for discussion with the students on the topics of the course, Please, get in contact by email: alesca@unive.it
Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments:
Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support
services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). In the case of disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it

written and oral