Self-Assembly of a 3-D Triply Interlocked Chiral [2]Catenane

A tripodal cyclotriveratrylene-based ligand with chelating 2,2‘-bipyridine arms self-assembles with either Zn(NO 3 ) 2 or Co(NO 3 ) 2 to give 3-D trigonal bipyramidal [M 3 L 2 ] cage assemblies. These cages triply interlock forming [2]catenane species that have been characterized by mass spectrometry and, in the case of the Zn(II) complex, by X-ray crystallography.