Issue 12, 2022

Distinctive features and challenges in catenane chemistry

Abstract

From being an aesthetic molecular object to a building block for the construction of molecular machines, catenanes and related mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) continue to attract immense interest in many research areas. Catenane chemistry is closely tied to that of rotaxanes and knots, and involves concepts like mechanical bonds, chemical topology and co-conformation that are unique to these molecules. Yet, because of their different topological structures and mechanical bond properties, there are some fundamental differences between the chemistry of catenanes and that of rotaxanes and knots although the boundary is sometimes blurred. Clearly distinguishing these differences, in aspects of bonding, structure, synthesis and properties, between catenanes and other MIMs is therefore of fundamental importance to understand their chemistry and explore the new opportunities from mechanical bonds.

Graphical abstract: Distinctive features and challenges in catenane chemistry

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
30 Sept. 2021
Accepted
04 Febr. 2022
First published
07 Febr. 2022
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 3315-3334

Distinctive features and challenges in catenane chemistry

H. Y. Au-Yeung and Y. Deng, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 3315 DOI: 10.1039/D1SC05391D

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