LAUSR

Abstract Molecular recognition is integral to many biological, synthetic, and supramolecular systems. Recognition is often the nexus that controls the path, kinetics, and mechanism of chemical and biochemical processes. Recognition can be static in the case of more rigid molecular environments, or dynamic in which either the selector, selector target, or both respond altering conformations in response to the local environment, or the intended partner. The recognition may be simple, with just a pair interacting, or complex with multiple partners and the pairing can be concurrent or sequential. The partnering may be at an active site or in its vicinity where not only recognition occurs, but also subsequent chemical reactivity is regulated, or distant from that location yet altering the chemical architecture in a manner seeding longer-range consequences. Because it need involve relatively few dominant interactions and structural requirements, chiral recognition is often integral to the more intricate and complex concatenated influences on the chemical landscape. In this review we have identified several forms of chiral recognition, noted their efficacy can involve combinations of chirality, and have highlighted numerous functionalities that by their complementarity encompass a wide array of applications. We conclude by suggesting the variety of means available for regulating recognition.