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  • Perspectives in Chemistry—A...
    Lehn, Jean‐Marie

    Angewandte Chemie International Edition, March 9, 2015, Volume: 54, Issue: 11
    Journal Article

    Chemistry, pure and applied, is a science and an industry. By its power over the expressions of matter, it also displays the creativity of art. It has expanded from molecular to supramolecular chemistry and then, by way of constitutional dynamic chemistry, towards adaptive chemistry. Constitutional dynamics allow for adaptation, through component exchange and selection in response to physical stimuli (e.g. light, photoselection), to chemical effectors (e.g. metal ions, metalloselection) or to environmental effects (e.g. phase change) in equilibrium or out‐of‐equilibrium conditions, towards the generation of the best‐adapted/fittest constituent(s) in a dynamic set. Such dynamic systems can be represented by two‐dimensional or three‐dimensional dynamic networks that define the agonistic and antagonistic relationships between the different constituents linked through component exchange. The introduction of constitutional dynamics into materials science opens perspectives towards adaptive materials and technologies, presenting attractive behavioral features (such as self‐healing). In particular, dynamic polymers may undergo modification of their properties (mechanical, optical, etc.) through component exchange and recombination in response to physical or chemical agents. Constitutional adaptive materials open towards a systems materials science and offer numerous opportunities for soft‐matter technologies. Chemistry, pure and applied, is a science and an industry. By its power over the expressions of matter, it also displays the creativity of art. The field of chemistry is the universe of all possible entities and transformations of molecular matter, of which those actually realized in nature represent just one world among all the worlds that await to be created at the hand of the chemist.