Cyclodextrins, Off‐the‐Shelf Components for the Construction of Mechanically Interlocked Molecular Systems

Titillating games of “molecular artists” or serious attempts at the production of new, functionalized materials? This question arises in the evaluation of several recent articles by Kaifer et al., Wenz et al., Harada et al., and Macartney et al. on the threading of cyclodextrins on “thin” molecules. If these “threads” are short, [2] rotaxanes result; if they are polymers, polyrotaxanes are the products. One thing remains certain: cyclodextrins will continue to inspire imaginative projects.