After #Rotaxane and #Catenane, the first example of mechanically interlocked #Pretzelane! 🥨🔗🥨

carbon ring hooked up I don't write about real chemistry very often these days, but it's always great to hear about the creative (supra)molecular architectures and new allotropes of carbon developed in Harry Anderson's lab here in Oxford. The latest news from his lab, published in Science magazine this week, is the first molecular carbon ring stable enough to be investigated in solution by normal spectroscopy methods. Previous carbon rings were produced by atom manipulation on solid surfaces, a method requiring extremely low temperatures (see here and here). I wrote a news story for Chemistry World about this new work, which is out now: Ring of pure carbon stabilised by its catenane connections Chemistry World 15.8.2025 I believe it is freely accessible as long as you haven't used up your monthly quota of free articles from CW. The three macrocycles helped to stabilise the C48 molecule, allowing the first isolation in solution of this class of molecule. Image source: © Yueze Gao et al 2025

I did a #chemistry news story for #ChemistryWorld: proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2025/08/carbon-ring-hook... #science #sciencejournalism #carbon #allotrope #catenane #molecule #supramolecular

Found this in our local shopping center. The fascination of the mechanical bond is everywhere 😂 #catenane

Catenane with tuneable mechanical chirality created The chirality of a compact cationic catenane can be controlled using chiral sulfonate anions

Catenane with tuneable mechanical chirality created #Science #Chemistry #OrganicChemistry #Catenane #MolecularDesign #Chirality