Since the pioneering publications on coordination chemistry by Lehn and Pedersen in the late 1960s, coupled with the more orthodox interest from the transition metal chemists on template reactions (Busch, 1964), the field of supramolecular chemistry has grown at an astonishing rate. The use of transition metals as essential constituents of multi-component assemblies has been especially sharp in recent years, since the metals are prone to quick and reversible redox changes, and there is a wide variety of metal--ligand interactions. Such properties make supramolecular complexes of transition metal ions suitable candidates for exploration as light--energy converters and signal processors. Transition Metals in Supramolecular Chemistry focuses on the following main topics: (1) metal controlled organization of novel molecular assemblies and shapes; (2) design of molecular switches and devices operating through metal centres; (3) supramolecular catalysts that mimic metalloenzymes; (4) metal-containing sensory reagents and supramolecular recognition; and (5) molecular materials that display powerful electronic, optoelectronic and magnetic properties.

This book consists of 15 chapters, written by authoritative specialists, on some of the most intriguing and promising topics of modern chemistry. The authors describe the lines along which chemical research will develop in the next decade, using a plain language well understandable even by non-specialists. The book originated from the lectures presented on the occasion of a meeting held in Pavia, Italy, "Chemistry at the Beginning of the Third Millennium" by distinguished scientists from the Universities of Bologna, Heidelberg, Jena, Padua, Pavia and Siena.

Since the pioneering publications on coordination chemistry by Lehn and Pedersen in the late 1960s, coupled with the more orthodox interest from the transition metal chemists on template reactions (Busch, 1964), the field of supramolecular chemistry has grown at an astonishing rate. The use of transition metals as essential constituents of multi-component assemblies has been especially sharp in recent years, since the metals are prone to quick and reversible redox changes, and there is a wide variety of metal--ligand interactions. Such properties make supramolecular complexes of transition metal ions suitable candidates for exploration as light--energy converters and signal processors. Transition Metals in Supramolecular Chemistry focuses on the following main topics: (1) metal controlled organization of novel molecular assemblies and shapes; (2) design of molecular switches and devices operating through metal centres; (3) supramolecular catalysts that mimic metalloenzymes; (4) metal-containing sensory reagents and supramolecular recognition; and (5) molecular materials that display powerful electronic, optoelectronic and magnetic properties.

This Volume is based on the Lectures presented at the Meeting "Chemistry at the Beginning of the Third Millennium," wh ich was held in Pavia, Italy, during the period 7-10 October, 1999. The Meeting involved the participation of scientists from German and ltalian Universities of the 'Coimbra Group'. The 'Coimbra Group', wh ich was founded in 1987, gathers the most ancient and prestigious European Universities, with the aim to promote initiatives in both research and teaching and to provide guidelines for the progress and development of the University system. German and Italian Universities within the Coimbra Group propose every year a theme for scientific discussion, which originates a Meeting to be held in a German or Italian University. The Meeting in Pavia was the fifth of the series and followed those of Bologna (1995), Jena (1996), Siena (1997), Heidelberg (1998). Each Meeting is centred on a topic from either humanistic or natural sciences and consists in aseries of lectures presented by distinguished scientists from the six participanting Universities. For the Pavia Meeting, the Steering Committee chose Chemistry as the topic and gathered researchers with experience in almost all fields of chemistry. In particular, during the Meeting, lectures were presented on many up-to-date subjects of chemistry, including: materials science, superconductors, supramolecular chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, fullerenes, liquid crystals, photoinduced electron transfer, etc. The different topics were covered by distinguished and renown researchers of the various fields.