Crystal engineering
![An example of crystal engineering using hydrogen bonding reported by Wuest and coworkers in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2007, 4306–4322.](/Images/godic/202501/07/Crystal_Engineering_JACS_2007_vol129_page4306_commons4629.jpg")
![A five component crystal was designed by Desiraju and co workers by a rational retrosynthetic strategy (IUCrJ, 2016, 3, 96–101)](/Images/godic/202501/07/lossless-page1-220px-GRD_multicomponent.tif4629.png")
![An example of four component two dimensional assembly using hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions reported by De Feyter and coworkers in Angew Chem Int. Ed., 2009, 48, 7353–7357.](/Images/godic/202501/07/lossless-page1-220px-SDF_fourcomponent.tif4629.png")
Crystal engineering is the design and synthesis of molecular solid state structures with desired properties, based on an understanding and use of intermolecular interactions. The two main strategies currently in use for crystal engineering are based on hydrogen bonding and coordination bonding. These may be understood with key concepts such as the supramolecular synthon and the secondary building unit.