Self-Assembled Trigonal Prismatic Altitudinal Rotors with Triptycene Paddle Wheels

We describe the synthesis of a trigonal prismatic molecular rotor by self-assembly from paddle-wheel carrying molecular rods and trigonal star connectors in a 3:2 ratio. The rod is 9,10-diethynyltriptycene terminated in transversely reactive [Pt(dppp)] + groups (dppp = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) and the connector is 1,3,5-tris[(4-pyridyl)ethynyl]benzene. The structure of the molecular rotor has been established by 2-D NMR and MS, including diffusion-ordered NMR and collision-induced dissociation.