Eduardo Victor Peris, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain, and colleagues have developed a new type of MIM based on the coupling of two so-called metallotweezers, which consist of a rigid tether linking two flat "arms". The interlocked structure is unique as it is produced by the self-aggregation of two U-shaped structures. The two components of the mechanically interlocked molecule cannot separate because the bulky tert-butyl groups prevent disassembly through slippage. For an analogous tweezer lacking these groups, the dimeric structure is in equilibrium with the monomeric structure. The researchers coined the name "clippane" to describe the new family of MIMs formed by two entangled or fastened molecular tweezers.
The study, published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202112513, has now been higlighted in Chemsitry Views: https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/ezine/11323712/New_Class_of_Mecha...
