1,3,5-triazine-based synthons in supramolecular chemistry

Interest in supramolecular chemistry has grown significantly during the past two decades. In this context, hydrogen bonding and/or coordinative interactions have been extensively used to generate self-assembled one-, two- or three-dimensional polymeric networks. Crystal structure prediction has progressed tremendously, and the challenge for the contemporary supramolecular chemist is now to produce custom-made functional (and multifunctional) materials involving intermolecular interactions. Since the early 1990s, 1,3,5-triazine derivatives have shown their potential as building blocks for the preparation of such materials. In this microreview, a selection of outstanding examples of supramolecular networks involving the 1,3,5-triazine unit are discussed, illustrating the possibility of forming remarkable architectures by means of coordination and/or hydrogen bonds and their applications in host-guest chemistry, catalysis, anion recognition, sensoring, electronics and magnetism.