Mechanically Chiral Rotaxanes in Catalysis, Sensing and Materials

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Rotaxanes, in which a linear component is trapped within a ring-shaped molecule like a bead on a thread, and catenanes, molecules formed of two rings threaded through one another like links in a chain, are the archetypal interlocked molecules. Holding the molecular components together like this changes their properties considerably and leads to new functions and applications. Indeed, nature has taken advantage of this approach to stabilise DNA in catenane structures (Nature 1967) and peptides as rotaxanes (Acc. Chem. Res. 2015). For an introduction to the properties of mechanically interlocked molecules see: "Chemical consequences of mechanical bonding in catenanes and rotaxanes" (Chem. Commun. 2014). In this project we will use cutting edge techniques developed in the Goldup Group (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018) to synthesise rotaxanes and catenanes based on artificial biologically active molecules developed by the Tavassoli Group (Nature Chemistry 2017) and demonstrate their application as new tools for chemical biology.