The construction of interlocked topologies by metal-cation-template methods has been extensively explored. However, construction of these species using template-free chemical self-assembly methods is hard to rationally achieve due to the inherent unpredictability of self-assembly processes. In this work, a strategy to construct interlocked [2]catenanes by coordination-driven template-free self-assembly is demonstrated, whereby combining rigid bidentate ligands with large conjugated-π area units and building blocks with appropriate lengths facilitated construction of interlocked [2]catenane compounds. Two rigid bidentate ligands, L1 and L2, were chosen to self-assemble with three dinuclear building blocks B1, B2 and B3. Ultimately, the successful construction of three [2]catenanes demonstrated the validity of the strategy. Although [2]catenanes are the simplest of all interlocked topologies, this motif is the basis for constructing more intricate topologies. This successful strategy may therefore lead to construction of other, more intricate topologies in the future.

中文翻译：

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具有半夹心 Cp*Rh/Ir 单元和芘基配体的联锁 [2] 链烷的合理设计和合成†

已经广泛探索了通过金属-阳离子-模板方法构建互锁拓扑。然而，由于自组装过程固有的不可预测性，使用无模板化学自组装方法构建这些物种很难合理实现。在这项工作中，展示了一种通过配位驱动的无模板自组装构建互锁 [2] 链的策略，从而将刚性双齿配体与大共轭 π 面积单元和具有适当长度的构建块相结合，促进了互锁 [2] 链的构建。 ] 链烯化合物。选择两个刚性双齿配体 L1 和 L2 与三个双核结构单元 B1、B2 和 B3 自组装。最终，三个 [2] 链的成功构建证明了该策略的有效性。尽管 [2] 链是所有互锁拓扑中最简单的，但该主题是构建更复杂拓扑的基础。因此，这种成功的策略可能会导致未来构建其他更复杂的拓扑结构。