Topologically complex molecules obtained by transition metal templation: it is the presentation that determines the synthesis strategy

Topological constructions made from closed curves range from simple links to intricate knots and started to capture the chemists' attention in the early sixties. These mathematical objects result from particular embeddings of a single or a set of closed curves in the three-dimensional space that show an infinite variety of presentations. Simple catenanes, higher order interlocked macrocycles, and molecular knots can be synthesized via the metal template approach, just as simple macrocycles. However, this requires that rigid presentations with appropriate geometrical characteristics be identified prior to molecular design, and those selected for the metal-templated synthesis of some of these fascinating molecules are reviewed here.