Although chiral mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) have been synthesised and studied, enantiopure examples are relatively under-represented in the pantheon of reported catenanes and rotaxanes and the underlying chirality of the system is often even overlooked. This is changing with the advent of new applications of MIMs in catalysis, sensing and materials and the appearance of new methods to access unusual stereogenic units unique to the mechanical bond. Here we discuss the different stereogenic units that have been investigated in catenanes and rotaxanes, examples of their application, methods for assigning absolute stereochemistry and provide a perspective on future developments.

中文翻译：

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轮烷和索烷的手性

尽管手性机械互锁分子（MIM）已经被合成和研究，但对映体纯的例子在已报道的索烷和轮烷的万神殿中相对较少，并且系统潜在的手性甚至经常被忽视。随着 MIM 在催化、传感和材料方面新应用的出现，以及获取机械键特有的不寻常立体单元的新方法的出现，这种情况正在发生变化。在这里，我们讨论了在索烷和轮烷中研究的不同立体单元、它们的应用示例、分配绝对立体化学的方法，并提供了对未来发展的展望。