Anion coordination chemistry: From recognition to supramolecular assembly

The field of anion coordination chemistry has received more and more attention in recent years. A large number of articles, from the initial anion recognition to various applications, have been published in the past few decades. This review will focus on the recent progress in this fast-growing field, emphasizing the anion-ligand coordination properties from structural and geometrical aspects. Firstly, typical anion ligands based on hydrogen bonding are briefly summarized. This is followed by a collection of representative and the most recent examples of anion coordination compounds, whose structures are analyzed in terms of hydrogen bonding parameters and coordination number and geometry. In the third part, recent achievements in anion coordination-based supramolecular assemblies are discussed, and finally developments of two non-classical interactions (anion–π interactions and halogen bonding) in anion coordination and self-assembly processes are also described.