Chemistry in Confining Reaction Fields with Special Emphasis on Nanoporous Materials

The everyday routine of most chemists is dictated by large numbers. The chemical rules for ensembles of molar size (N approximately N(A)=6.022 x 10(23)) are well known and can be understood in most cases by using Boltzmann distribution. It is an interesting question how a small ensemble of a chemical system behaves and if it differs from the respective large-ensemble counterpart. The experimental approach presented in the current paper involves the division of a macroscopic volume into compartments that contain only a small number of reactants. The compartments represent the pores of tailor-made nanoporous materials.