One Template, Multiple Rings: Controlled Iterative Addition of Macrocycles onto a Single Binding Site Rotaxane Thread

One for all: The iteration of three simple steps—complexation, macrocyclization, and demetalation—enables the synthesis of multi-ring rotaxanes with only one template site (see picture). This efficient and effective strategy enables both the number and the order in which macrocycles are assembled onto a thread to be controlled with unprecedented precision.