Since the emergence of the concept of chemical topology, interlocked molecular assemblies have graduated from academic curiosities and poorly defined species to become synthetic realities. Coordination-directed synthesis provides powerful, diverse, and increasingly sophisticated protocols for accessing interlocked molecules. Originally, metal ions were employed solely as templates to gather and position building blocks in entwined or threaded arrangements. Recently, metal centers have increasingly featured within the backbones of the integral structural elements, which in turn use noncovalent interactions to self-assemble into intricate topologies. By outlining ingenious recent examples as well as seminal classic cases, this Review focuses on the role of metal−ligand paradigms in assembling molecular links. In addition, the ever-evolving approaches to efficient assembly, the structural features of the resulting architectures, and their prospects for the future are also presented.

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Experimental procedures, spectroscopic data, and X-ray crystallography (PDF) X-ray data for 1 (CCDC 1901497) (CIF) X-ray data for 2 (CCDC 1901498) (CIF) X-ray data for 3-BR (CCDC 1901499) (CIF) X-ray data for 5 (CCDC 1901500) (CIF) X-ray data for 6 (CCDC 1901501) (CIF) X-ray data for 7 (CCDC 1901502) (CIF)