Synthetic Strategies for the Construction of Threaded and Interlocked Molecules

This review summarizes the different synthetic strategies based on chemical templation for the construction of threaded and interlocked molecules (rotaxanes, pseudorotaxanes and catenanes). The chemical templates or intermolecular interactions used to bring together in an organised fashion the different component parts of the threaded or interlocked structures can be divided into: anionic and cationic templates, hydrogen bonding interactions, π-stacking and charge-transfer interactions and hydrophobic interactions. Examples of the most common structures displaying these interactions will be discussed.