New synthetic strategies hold promise for the future of molecular nanotopology

Synthetic strategies that can precisely control the number and spatial arrangement of entanglements within topologically complex molecules are critical to the development of molecular nanotopology. In this issue of Chem, Nistchke and co-workers describe the construction of a molecular 8₁₉ knot by using an extended circular helicate. The topological chirality of the resulting knot is controlled with an enantiopure diamine building block. The elegant strategy establishes a valuable platform for the selective synthesis of high-order knots and links.