Engineering Function of Mechanically Interlocked Molecules with Pyrrole-Based Macrocyclic Platforms

Abstract

This feature article discusses advances in mechanically interlocked molecules comprising porphyrin or porphyrin-like frameworks, as well as systems in which porphyrinoid structural elements were integrated into interlocked architectures to impart specific functions, such as energy and electron transfer, molecular recognition, catalytic activity, and controlled dynamic operation. The review article traces the field's development from early examples of porphyrin-containing catenanes and rotaxanes to more recent systems in which porphyrinoid stations were deliberately engineered to fulfill defined functional roles. In the final section, the group’s contributions to the research area are presented. This includes the progressive development of an iminopyrrole-based self-assembly methodology that enabled the construction of increasingly complex structures – from two-dimensional macrocycles, through capsular assemblies, to metal-stabilized mechanically interlocked molecules. Finally, the synthesis of rotaxanes and catenanes comprising calix[4]phyrins is outlined, demonstrating systems that exhibit a specific type of molecular motion termed fluttering.