Abstract
Synthesizing a palindromic [3]rotaxane molecular machine using [2]rotaxane building-blocks. The picture represents the famous intriguing “Rotas or Sator Square”, i.e., a word square that contains a Latin palindrome that can be built from stone blocks. The sentence, which can be read in all directions, combines the words “rotas”, meaning wheel, and “opera” for task. A chemical analogy can be found with symmetrical rotaxane architectures, in which the motion of a chemical wheel can be linked to work. In their article, F. Coutrot et al. describe the synthesis of a pH-sensitive [3]rotaxane palindromic molecular machine from novel appealing isolable and storable activated [2]rotaxane building-blocks. More information can be found in the Full Paper by F. Coutrot et al.