Synthesis of a [2]catenane with functionalities and 87-membered rings

This paper describes the efficient synthesis of a [2]catenane with 87-membe red rings and with functionalities that should enable the preparation of a poly[2]catenane. For the ring formation, the oxidative dimerization of acet ylenes was used. The entwinement of the rings was achieved with the help of diphenylcarbonate as a covalent template. The structure of [2]catenane 6 w as unambiguously proven by NMR spectroscopy. mass spectrometry, and a compa rison of the size exclusion chromatograms of starting materials, synthetic intermediates and products.