Self‐Assembly of the First Fullerene‐Containing [2]Catenane

An aromatic crown ether tethered to C60 is a template for the formation of the [2]catanene shown on the right, in which cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) cyclophane becomes mechanically interlocked with the fullerene-appended macrocyclic polyether. Since the hydroquinone ring connecting the bis(p-phenylene)-[34]crown-10 to C60 behaves as a π-electron-rich exo donor and undergoes additional interactions with the electron-accepting C60 moiety, this first fullerene catenane boasts an unprecedented intramolecular acceptor–donor–acceptor—donor–acceptor stack.