Reimagining Wasserman's catenane: A journey from past to present (1960-2023)

Over the past three decades, the development of analytical tools has enabled the study of increasingly complex mechanically inter-locked molecules. The first synthesis of a [2]catenane, by Edel Was-serman in 1960, was controversial because it lacked experimental evidence. Recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Leigh and co-workers have re-examined this pioneering synthesis by using modern techniques to affirm its structure.