The development of a new technique capable of analyzing compounds crystallographically without first needing to crystallize them has been recently described. The present thesis aims to demonstrate the potential of such a technique, which utilizes crystalline sponges, in order to regularly order guest compounds in a porous media. The structural stability of the molecular sponges, which are highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), is first investigated, revealing that the Co-based MOF, 1, undergoes two remarkable transformations. This thesis also demonstrates how the technique can be employed to visualize the motion and occupancy of gaseous guests in a MOF. The Zn-based MOF, 4, was found to physisorb and chemisorb molecular iodine, leading to the formation of a variety of polyiodide species. The flexible nature of the host was determined to be an essential component in the exceptionally large iodine uptake capacity of the MOF. These results illustrate that the crystalline sponge method can be an effective strategy for directly visualizing guest molecules and obtaining vital information on the interactions formed between the host and guest.

Cyclodextrins are well known for their ability to encapsulate molecules and have captured the attention of scientists for many years. This ability alone makes cyclodextrins attractive for study, research, and applications in many fields including food, cosmetics, textiles, and the pharmaceutical industry. In this thesis, we specifically look at the ability of the three native cyclodextrins, alpha, beta, and gamma cyclodextrin (α-CD, β-CD, and γ-CD, respectively), to encapsulate the drug molecule, quinine, a small hydrophobic, lipophilic molecule used to treat malaria, leg cramps, and other similar conditions. This encapsulation process is driven by the molecular interactions, which have been studied by NMR techniques at different temperatures (288 K, 293 K, 298 K, 303 K, 308 K) and pH values (7.4, 11.5). These factors (temperature and pH) influence these molecular interactions, which in turn significantly affects the entire encapsulation process. Detailed studies of the influences of temperature and pH on the interactions that drive the encapsulation may suggest some new directions into designing controlled drug release processes. Results obtained throughout the course of this work indicate that β-CD is the best native cyclodextrin to bind quinine, and that binding is best at pH = 11.5. It was found that temperature does not significantly affect the binding affinity of quinine to either α-CD, β-CD, or γ-CD.