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Molecular Knots
Author(s) -
Fielden Stephen D. P.,
Leigh David A.,
Woltering Steffen L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201702531
Subject(s) - trefoil knot , knot (papermaking) , braid , tangle , steric effects , molecule , chemistry , molecular model , materials science , knot theory , stereochemistry , mathematics , organic chemistry , pure mathematics , composite material
The first synthetic molecular trefoil knot was prepared in the late 1980s. However, it is only in the last few years that more complex small‐molecule knot topologies have been realized through chemical synthesis. The steric restrictions imposed on molecular strands by knotting can impart significant physical and chemical properties, including chirality, strong and selective ion binding, and catalytic activity. As the number and complexity of accessible molecular knot topologies increases, it will become increasingly useful for chemists to adopt the knot terminology employed by other disciplines. Here we give an overview of synthetic strategies towards molecular knots and outline the principles of knot, braid, and tangle theory appropriate to chemistry and molecular structure.