Hydrogen bonds and molecular recognition

Hydrogen bonding plays a crucial role in the molecular recognition that must occur before and during nucleation of sugar crystals. It is also involved in the synthesis of new molecular complexes in the rapidly expanding field of supramolecular chemistry. In the context of current thought it is most unlikely that any interaction between a polyhydroxy molecule and a protein does not involve hydrogen bonding. the most important properties of hydrogen bonds is their cooperativity, or non-additivity, which can transfer charge and increase hydrogen bonding energies. The two aspects of hydrogen-bond cooperativity, polarization and resonance-enhanced, will be described, with their implication in molecular recognition and the hypotheses of sweet taste.