An <i>S</i>₁₀-Symmetric 5‑Fold Interlocked [2]Catenane

The reaction of sym-pentakis­(4-aminothiophenyl)­corannulene with 2-formyl-6-methylpyridine and CuI or 2-formyl-1,10-phenanthroline and MII (M = Co, Zn) yields an S10-symmetric 5-fold interlocked [2]­catenane of two interpenetrating [CuI5L2]5+ cages or D5-symmetric [MII5L2]10+ cages, respectively. The new structures were characterized by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Density functional theory computations point to dispersive energies on par with traditional covalent bond energies. Subcomponent exchange reactions favored formation of the [CoII5L2]10+ cage over the [CuI10L4]10+ catenane. The single cage and catenane each cocrystallized with a corannulene guest to form a bowl-in-bowl substructure.