Recognition of Carbohydrates

The aim of this chapter is to provide a small guide to the different techniques used to evaluate molecular recognition of carbohydrates by artificial receptors through a selection of the most recent and innovative papers published in the field. Although an extensive amount of work has been reported on the use of reversible covalent-bond formation in water, in particular, through the formation of boron-oxygen bonds, the focus of the chapter will be on systems that use a combination of multiple noncovalent intermolecular interactions for binding carbohydrates in organic solvents and water. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been one of the main techniques used to investigate molecular recognition of carbohydrates by artificial receptors through one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiments. In the last decade excellent progress and results have been obtained in mass spectrometry through electrospray spray ionization (ESI).