Olympiadane

Abstract

Five interlocked rings in a linear arrangement form the familiar symbol of the Olympic Games and also describe olympiadane, a [5]catenane which was assembled from eight components in two steps at ambient temperature and pressure. This self-assembly process is possible as sufficient molecular recognition was programmed into the components. The fragmentation patterns in the mass spectrum and the 1H NMR spectrum support the structure shown schematically on the right.