# Synthesis of a Station‐Less Molecular Daisy Chain

## TL;DR

Scientists created a molecular daisy chain without a fixed structure, showing it can move freely even at low temperatures.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a daisy chain with no preferred conformation due to the absence of intercomponent recognition motifs.

## Key findings

- The daisy chain dimer was synthesized using a Cadiot–Chodkiewicz active metal template reaction.
- Variable temperature experiments showed the daisy chain is highly mobile even at low temperatures.
- The absence of intercomponent recognition motifs leads to multiple possible geometries for the daisy chain.

## Abstract

A daisy chain architecture without a preferred low energy arrangement of the mechanically linked components is presented. The molecular design combines a rigid‐rod type oligophenylene ethynylene subunit with an oligoethylene glycol macrocycle that features a bipyridine coordination site. The daisy chain dimer was synthesized via kinetic trapping of the interlocked structure using a Cadiot–Chodkiewicz active metal template reaction. Comparison of the isolated interlocked dimer with its monomeric analogue indicates the presence of a variety of different geometries for the molecular daisy chain. The dynamic sliding motion in the daisy chain is studied by variable temperature UV–vis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments, which point to a highly mobile system even at low temperatures.

A daisy chain compound lacking intercomponent recognition motifs is synthesized and analyzed. As a result of the absence of intercomponent recognition motifs there was also no preferred conformation of the interlocked components observed.