Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Urea and Thiourea Inclusion Compounds

Abstract

Urea and thiourea inclusion compounds are well known to exhibit a wide range of fundamentally important physico-chemical properties, and through the work of many research groups, these materials have served as model systems for exploring a range of issues of wider relevance to other classes of organic solids. While continuing to investigate these issues, our research in recent years has also focused on issues of a more applied nature, including crystal growth processes, guest exchange processes, the design and development of X-ray dichroic filter materials, and the development of strategies for direct experimental determination of intermolecular interaction energies. This article presents a brief overview of fundamental properties of urea and thiourea inclusion compounds, and reviews some of our recent work in the specific areas identified above.

Keywords:

• Urea inclusion compounds
• Thiourea inclusion compounds
• Crystal growth
• Crystal morphology
• Guest exchange processes
• X-ray dichroism

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the members of my research group and research collaborators who have made substantial contributions to our research in the specific areas covered by this article (particularly Dr M.-H. Chao, Dr S.P. Collins, Dr A. Desmedt, Dr F. Guillaume, Dr P.E. Jupp, Dr B.M. Kariuki, Ms N.E. Kelly, Dr S.-O. Lee, Dr J. Martí-Rujas, and others mentioned in the references cited). I am also grateful to the funding agencies (particularly E.P.S.R.C.) that have supported our research in this field, and to Professor Sir John Mevrig Thomas for introducing me to this field of research.