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Science 28 May 2004:
Vol. 304. no. 5675, pp. 1256 - 1258
DOI: 10.1126/science.1099216
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Perspectives

CHEMISTRY:
Chemical Topology and Interlocking Molecules

Jay S. Siegel

Over the past 40 years, chemists have sought to create complex interlocking molecular structures. In his Perspective, Siegel discusses work reported in the same issue by two groups, in which the synthesis of intricate interwoven molecules has been taken to a new level. Wang et al. report the creation of a novel multicatenane from interpenetrating calixarenes. Chichak et al. present the synthesis of a Borromean link in molecular form. The hope is that molecules of increasingly complex topology will not only provide aesthetically attractive structures, but may find use in applications such as nanotechnology.

The author is at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Switzerland. E-mail: jss{at}oci.unizh.ch

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)