AUTHOR=Wu Gui-Yuan , Zhu Hong-Juan , Pan Fang-Fang , Sheng Xiao-Wei , Zhang Ming-Rui , Zhang Xianyi , Yao Guangxin , Qu Hang , Lu Zhou 

TITLE=Self-Assembly of [3]Catenane and [4]Catenane Based on Neutral Organometallic Scaffolds

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.805229

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2021.805229

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=<p>Transition metal-mediated templating and self-assembly have shown great potential to construct mechanically interlocked molecules. Herein, we describe the formation of the bimetallic [3]catenane and [4]catenane based on neutral organometallic scaffolds <italic>via</italic> the orthogonality of platinum-to-oxygen coordination-driven self-assembly and copper(I) template–directed strategy of a [2]pseudorotaxane. The structures of these bimetallic [3]catenane and [4]catenane were characterized by multinuclear NMR {<sup>1</sup>H and <sup>31</sup>P} spectroscopy, electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS), and PM6 semiempirical molecular orbital theoretical calculations. In addition, single-crystal X-ray analyses of the [3]catenane revealed two asymmetric [2]pseudorotaxane units inside the metallacycle. It was discovered that tubular structures were formed through the stacking of individual [3]catenane molecules driven by the strong π–π interactions.</p>