Terminology and nomenclature for macromolecular rotaxanes and pseudorotaxanes (IUPAC Recommendations 2012)

This document provides (i) definitions of terms related to macromolecular rotaxanes and macromolecular pseudorotaxanes and (ii) recommendations for naming these macromolecular assemblies. The nomenclature recommendations presented here have been developed by combining the nomenclature rules for the low-molar-mass (low-M) rotaxanes and those for macromolecules (both established in published IUPAC recommendations) in such a way that the developed nomenclature system provides unambiguous names for macromolecular rotaxanes (and pseudorotaxanes), including differentiation among various isomers of these supramolecular assemblies. Application of the nomenclature recommendations is illustrated using examples covering a wide range of structure types of macromolecular rotaxanes and pseudorotaxanes. An Alphabetical Index of Terms and a List of Abbreviations and Prefixes are included.