On July 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM (Kyiv time) the Kharkiv Chemical Seminar, initiated by the Institute of Functional Materials Chemistry of the State Scientific Institution "Institute for Single Crystals" of the NAS of Ukraine, invites all concerned persons to join the next online lecture on the Zoom platform.
Lecturer: Prof. Giuseppe Gattuso, professor of organic chemistry at the Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences of the University of Messina (Italy). In 1997, he defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Birmingham (UK) under the supervision of Nobel Prize laureate Professor Sir J. Fraser Stoddart. Since 1999, he has worked at the University of Messina, where he held the position of associate professor and became a professor in 2021. Professor Gattuso's scientific interests include supramolecular chemistry, specifically the development, synthesis, and study of macrocyclic receptors and functional molecular systems for molecular recognition, sensor technologies, self-assembly, and applications in biomedicine.
Theme of the lecture: Host-to-guest proton-transfer in supramolecular chemistry: from molecular recognition to functional systems.
Recognition driven by proton transfer between host and guest has become an effective strategy for selective binding of substrates capable of protonation. This is ensured by additional stabilization of complexes through electrostatic interactions. In such systems, proton transfer from favorably positioned carboxyl groups of the macrocyclic host to basic guest molecules leads to the formation of predominantly neutral inclusion complexes with internal ion pairs. In these complexes, ionic bonding and inclusion of the molecule within the macrocycle cavity act cooperatively, mutually enhancing each other. Initially, this approach was proposed for the recognition of linear primary amines using calix[5]arenes. Later, it evolved into a universal principle for designing sensitive supramolecular systems. Today, with appropriate complementary guest molecules, it is used to create microcapsules, supramolecular polymers, and adaptive molecular architectures. The combination of acid-base chemistry with the "host-guest" concept allows transforming molecular recognition processes into controlled structural and functional changes.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4590042894?pwd=dEZzSjlMbEdkQnhNODZYYjJoekVPUT09
Meeting ID: 459 004 2894
Passcode: Ch24022022
Event coordinator: Valentyn Chebanov, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine (chebanov@gmail.com; info@isc.kh.ua).
Language of the seminar – English
Traditionally, seminar participants can expect an informative lecture and the opportunity to communicate with the speaker.
Videos of all lectures from the Kharkiv Chemical Seminar, as well as detailed information about the meetings, are available at the link
About the event: In April 2022, despite the full-scale war and challenging working conditions in Kharkiv, researchers from the Institute of Functional Materials Chemistry of the State Scientific Institution "Institute for Single Crystals" of the NAS of Ukraine launched the Kharkiv Chemical Seminar - an open international scientific platform for lectures, discussions, and science promotion. Since then, over 50 sessions have been held, attracting more than 45,000 attendees and viewers. The seminar has featured eight Nobel laureates and leading scientists from around the world, making the Kharkiv Chemical Seminar a notable event within the international scientific community.