Skeletal editing technique removes nitrogen atoms from rotaxanes

Figure

Source: © 2024 David A Leigh et al

Reaction breaks and repairs a rotaxane’s axle without allowing its ring to slide off

A new technique selectively removes nitrogen atoms from rotaxanes and forms a stabilising carbon–carbon bond, without allowing the existing structure to unravel. The reaction extends the use of skeletal editing to a complex supramolecular structure and could offer a way to modify many other similar molecules that are difficult to access with conventional synthetic techniques.