Beauty in Chemistry: Artistry in the Creation of New Molecules

179 Pages·2012·10.94 MB·English

by  Kenneth N. Raymond

323
Topics in Current Chemistry
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Beauty in Chemistry
Artistry in the Creation of New Molecules
Volume Editor: Luigi Fabbrizzi
With Contributions by
D.B. Amabilino (cid:1) V. Balzani (cid:1) C.J. Brown (cid:1) C.J. Bruns (cid:1)
L. Fabbrizzi (cid:1) E. Marchi (cid:1) K.N. Raymond (cid:1) J.F. Stoddart (cid:1)
M. Venturi (cid:1) J.-P. Sauvage
Editor
Prof.Dr.LuigiFabbrizzi
DipartimentodiChimica
viaTaramelli12
Pavia
Italy
ISSN0340-1022 e-ISSN1436-5049
ISBN978-3-642-28340-6 e-ISBN978-3-642-28341-3
DOI10.1007/978-3-642-28341-3
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Preface
Don’t ask a joiner which is the most beautiful trade. He will answer his own. For
two main reasons: the pleasure of doing his professional activity with conscious
skillfulness,theintrinsicbeauty(ifany)oftheproductsofhiswork(achair,atable,
adoor).Ifanalchemisthadbeenaskedthesame question,say fivehundredyears
ago, he would have probably given the same answer, proud of his capability of
mastering fine and sophisticated techniques and fascinated by the new substances
he was able to create. The successors of alchemists – chemists – have a further
reason for enjoying the products of their activity; formulae. First, each substance
canbefullydescribedandidentifiedbyitsformula,anachievementdatingbackto
thefirsthalfofthe19thcentury,whentechniquesofchemicalanalysisdeveloped.
Second,andmostimportantly,wheninthesecondhalfofthesamecenturythefirst
ideasonchemicalbondingwereoutlined,formulaetookaspatialcharacter(struc-
turalformulae),whichenrichedthechemicalthinkingofnewfascinatingconcepts:
molecular shape, geometry, symmetry. Since then, chemists have acquired the
consciousness of being able, on the macroscopic side, to produce new substances
displayingusefulpropertiesand,onthemicroscopicside,tocreatenewmolecular
structuresofdesignedsizeandshape,exactlylikeajoinermakingawoodobjector
asculptorgivingadesiredshapetoablockofmarble.
Nevertheless, chemistry is a utilitarian discipline and any synthetic design is
drivenbyadefinitefunctionalinterest(e.g.makingacatalyst,adrug,areagentfor
analysis) and is rarely addressed for deliberate aesthetic purposes. Based on this
assumption,chemicalproductsshouldnotbeassociatedwithbeautyandchemistry
shouldnotbeconsideredanartisticdiscipline.However,cathedralsoftheMiddle
Ages(justtomentionsomethingconsideredbeautifulbyalmosteveryoneinevery
timeperiod)werenotbuiltforgeneratinganaestheticpleasureintheviewers,but
withthepracticalpurposeofcreatingaplacewherethebelieverscouldgatherfor
prayingandhonouringGod.Frescosdecoratingthewallsofchurches,afterGiotto
and his followers, were painted not for inducing aesthetical emotions, but for
helping priests to illustrate the lives of the Saints, like the slides of today’s
PowerPoint presentations. In this respect, chemists can be considered artists,
ix
x Preface
becausetheycreatemolecularobjectsfordisplayingapracticalfunction,buttheir
structuremayalsocauseemotion,pleasureandultimatelyasenseofbeauty.
This volume contains essays on beauty and chemistry by some renowned
molecularartists(withthenotableexceptionoftheguesteditor),whohavecreated
over the past three decades beautiful molecular objects (vessels, knots, mechani-
callyboundsupramoleculesetcetera).Intheirindividualchapters,eachauthorhas
illustratedandcommentedonthedevelopmentoftheirideasandonthesignificance
of their findings. Thus, this volume could be compared to having access to old
manuscriptsinwhichMichelangelohimselfdescribesandcommentsonthestepsof
hisfrescoingthe1,100m2oftheceilingoftheSistineChapel,orSandroBotticelli
kindlyrevealsthesecretallegoryof‘Primavera’.
Luigi Fabbrizzi
.