Crystal Engineering u nit

Prof Luigi Nassimbeni

The Crystal Engineering Unit conducts research in the field of solid crystalline inclusion compounds. Its main thrust is the understanding of the molecular recognition which occurs between molecules in the crystalline state. In particular, projects are aimed at understanding the various secondary interactions which lead to particular structures and to correlate those with the macro-properties of the compounds under study. The crystal structures are elucidated by X-ray diffraction and the stability and energy of the materials formed are studied by thermal, optical and kinetic measurements.

Staff members in the unit are Prof L Nassimbeni, Prof A Jacobs and Dr N Bathori. There are two DTech, six MTech and a number of BTech and WIL students completing their projects. The projects focus on supramolecular host-guest systems, the mechanism of enantiomeric resolution whereby left- and right- handed molecules are separated, and pharmaceutical co-crystals.

In 2014, the unit published four articles in peer reviewed international journals. Three students graduated with MTech qualifications, with projects looking into melting point-solubility-structure relationships in multicomponent crystals, crystal engineering of phenolic acids, and the salts of a scissor-shaped racemic host.

Staff members gave oral presentations and presented posters at a number of national and international conferences, including the Pan African and South African International Year of Crystallography Conference (IYCr2014) in Bloemfontein; the Congress of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) in Montreal; and the U6 Consortium 2nd International Conference in Cape Town.