A Self-Sorting Scheme Based on Tetra-Urea Calix[4]arenes

摘要

The generally accepted definition of sorting is a process that achieves some kind of order according to certain criteria or properties such as size, shape, and color. This definition does not hold entirely for the term "self-sorting", which has been defined as the ability to distinguish "self" from "non-self". On the other hand, this term has been used for "the mutual recognition of complementary components in a mixture". In this case, "self" means that the chemical system is able to sort itself based merely on the specific information encoded in the molecules present in the mixture, with no additional external input required. In combination with a driving force such as binding interactions between complementary particles, a more highly ordered state is achieved. In practice, the interaction between the building blocks must be reversible in order to achieve error correction during the sorting progress.