Tay, Hui MinDocker, AndrewMartínez Martínez, Antonio JesúsBeer, Paul D.2026-06-042026-06-042026Tay, H. M., Docker, A., Martínez-Martínez, A. J., & Beer, P. D. (2026). Orthogonal cation and anion template-directed synthesis of a heteroditopic [3]catenane for ion-pair recognition. Chemical Science, 17(21), 10581–10588. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sc05942a2041-65202041-6539 (electrónico)https://hdl.handle.net/10272/28457The first orthogonal template strategy for the synthesis of higher order interlocked structures is described. Orthogonal cation and anion templates were employed in a stepwise fashion to construct a hetero[3] catenane composed of structurally distinct macrocyclic components. Importantly, the [3]catenane contains two interlocked binding cavities tailored for cation and anion binding, enabling it to function as a heteroditopic ion-pair receptor. The co-conformational dynamics and cation/anion binding properties of the [3]catenane were investigated by 1H NMR studies, which displayed temperature-dependent and guest-induced changes in chemical shift and linewidth. The potent ion-pair binding capability of the [3] catenane was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, which showed the [3]catenane to recognise a sodium chloride ion-pair in a mechanically bonded receptor-separated ion-pair binding mode, wherein the two guest ions are encapsulated within their respective interlocked host cavities.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal article10.1039/d5sc05942aopen access2306 Química Orgánica2307 Química Física