Olympicene is a molecule that has raised considerable attention in the press as well as in the chemical community.
Without wishing to detract from this great achievement, and acknowledging that for chemistry any positive publicity is good publicity, we would like to point out to the readers of Chemistry World that this molecule has nothing to do with the Olympic symbol. Topologically, it is a completely different animal.
In 1994, we published the first report of the synthesis of five interlocked rings in a linear arrangement, the molecular equivalent of the Olympic rings. The molecule was named olympiadane and the preparation was also symbolic at the time, proving the preparation of large and complex structures using the tenets of molecular recognition and self assembly.
In advertising, timing is everything, and in research too!
D Amabilino CChem FRSC
Saint Cugat del Valles, Spain
F Stoddart FRS FRSC
Evanston, US
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