THE SOLID-STATE SELF-ORGANIZATION OF A SELF-ASSEMBLED [2]CATENANE

The reluctance of a [2]catenane, comprised of macrocycles incorporating pi-donors and pi-accepters, to be catenated further to form a [3]catenane may be explained by the molecular arrangement revealed in the solid-state structure of the [a]catenane, which shows all aromatic units to be involved in intramolecular pi-pi stacking interactions; moreover, the molecules self-organise in the solid-state to form a quilt-like two-dimensional array by virtue of intermolecular pi-pi stacking interactions.