Efficient Multicomponent Active Template Synthesis of Catenanes

We describe a simple and high yielding active template synthesis of [2]­catenanes. In addition to mechanical bond formation using a single premacrocycle bearing an azide and alkyne moiety, our method is also suitable for the co-macrocyclization of readily available bis-alkyne and bis-azide comonomers and even short alkyne/azide components which oligomerize prior to mechanical bond formation.