Catenane with tuneable mechanical chirality created

Scientists have found a way to control the chirality of a mechanically interlocked molecule with the help of non-covalent interactions. Using chiral sulfonate anions, a group of researchers working with late Nobel laureate Fraser Stoddart, was able to bias the equilibrium between the chiral co-conformations of a carefully designed catenane.¹ The new strategy allowed them to introduce handedness into the molecule without changing its overall shape. ‘This discovery could inspire advancements in pharmaceuticals and materials science due to the significance of chirality,’ says team member Ruihua Zhang from the University of Hong Kong. ‘Unlike conventional chiral molecules that rely on stereogenic centres, our catenane’s mechanical chirality arises solely from its interlocked topology.’