Mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures

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Mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures are the connection of molecules not through traditional bonds, but instead as a consequence of their topology. This connection of molecules is analogous to keys on a key chain loop. The keys are not directly connected to the key chain loop but they cannot be separated without breaking the loop. On the molecular level the interlocked molecules cannot be separated without significant distortion of the covalent bonds that make up the conjoined molecules. Examples of mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures include catenanes, rotaxanes, molecular knots, and molecular Borromean rings. There is a great deal of interest in mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures to develop molecular machines by manipulating the relative position of the components.