The Weak Hydrogen Bond

Book excerpt: The weak or non-conventional hydrogen bond has been subject of intense scrutiny over recent years in several fields, in particular in structural chemistry, structural biology, and also in the pharmaceutical sciences. There is today a large body of experimental and theoretical evidence confirming that hydrogen bonds like C-H...O, N-H...pi, C-H...pi and even bonds like O-H...metal play distinctive roles in molecular recognition, guiding molecular association, and in determining molecular and supramolecular architectures. The relevant compound classes include organometallic complexes, organic and bio-organic systems, and also DNA and proteins. The book provides a comprehensive assessment of this interaction type, and is of interest to all those interested in structural and supramolecular science, including fields as crystal engineering and drug design.