Supramolecular Architectures Incorporating Hydrogen-Bonding Barbiturate Receptors

An overview is presented of the representative members of the wide range of supramolecular host–guest complexes and polymers formed through the association of complementary hydrogen-bonding motifs comprising barbiturates (or structurally related cyanurates in specific cases) and Hamilton-type, bis(amidopyridine) receptor motifs, which offer strong selective binding in non-competitive media. A particular emphasis is placed on photoaddressable systems.