video: This video shows a stick representation of the monoradical (7+) homo[2]catenane crystal structure. From this representation it is possible to get a sense of the interlocking nature of the two rings. Although these two rings are highly charged (4+ each), the two rings are connected indefinitely. This result leads to the stability of the radical electron in the molecule. This video relates to a paper that appeared in Jan. 25, 2013, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by Jonathan C. Barnes at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and colleagues was titled, “A Radically Configurable Six-State Compound.” view more
Credit: [Video courtesy of J. Fraser Stoddart, Jonathan C. Barnes]