Polyyne polyrotaxanes, encapsulated cyclocarbon catenanes and other fascinating mechanically interlocked carbon-rich architectures should become accessible if masked alkyne equivalents (MAEs) can be developed that are large enough to prevent unthreading of a macrocycle, cleanly unmasked under mild conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis new bulky MAE based on t-butylbicyclo[4.3.1]decatriene...

[5]Catenanes were synthesized by olefin metathesis dimerization. The reaction of pseudorotaxanes, which were derived from a [2]catenane and one equivalent of an ammonium salt bearing two terminal olefins in dichloromethane, with a catalytic amount of Grubbs catalyst afforded linear [5]catenanes in 12% yield. Intermolecular and intramolecular olefin metathesis reactions were controlled by the le...

In the course of the last 20 years, our view on rotaxanes and catenanes has completely changed. Copper(I)-templated strategies, in particular, have allowed us to prepare catenanes on a real preparative scale, in a few chemical steps from commercially available compounds. A particularly significant improvement was the introduction of the recently developed ring-closing metathesis reaction, using...

Freshly replicated DNA molecules initially form multiply interlinked right-handed catenanes. In bacteria, these catenated molecules become supercoiled by DNA gyrase before they undergo a complete decatenation by topoisomerase IV (Topo IV). Topo IV is also involved in the unknotting of supercoiled DNA molecules. Using Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the shapes of supercoiled D...

The design of molecular architectures exhibiting functional motions is a promising area for disruptive technological development. Toward this goal, rotaxanes and catenanes, which undergo relative m...

In this work, two different catenane based molecular motors were reviewed. These motor molecules consist of two interlocked rings, one of which has binding sites for the other ring. The smaller ring without the binding sites can rotate over the other macrocycle when the affinities of the binding sites are changed. If the rotation is unidirectional the molecule could in principle perform work. I...

We present the rational design and anion-binding properties of the first anion-templated pseudorotaxanes and catenanes in which the "wheel" component is provided by a calix[4]arene macrobicyclic unit. The designs and syntheses of two new calix[4]arene macrobicycles, 2 and 3, are presented, and the abilities of these new species both to bind anions and to undergo anion-dependent pseudorotaxane f...