Host Guest Interactions in Organofluorine Complexes Investigated Through Laser Methodologies

The successful production of selective supramolecular sensors takes advantage from the development of methods that can predict the structural features of the host necessary to achieve high complexation constants and/or high selectivity toward a definite class of guests. The study of host-guest interactions in the gas phase, without any solvent perturbation, results in a better understanding of the fundamental intrinsic aspects responsible for supramolecular interactions. Recently, we have chosen organofluorine chromophores in order to investigate the aromatic substitution process and the effect of fluorine atom in complex formation. As an example, we will report on the Resonant two Photons Ionization spectroscopy and mass spectrometry of complexes of para-fluoro-sec-butylbenzene with water and sec-butylamine molecule.