The Art of Building Small: From Molecular Switches to Motors (Nobel Lecture)

A journey into the nano-world: The ability to design, use and control motor-like functions at the molecular level sets the stage for numerous dynamic molecular systems. In his Nobel Lecture, B. L. Feringa describes the evolution of the field of molecular motors and explains how to program and control molecules by incorporating responsive and adaptive properties. At the start of my journey into the uncharted territory of synthetic molecular motors I consider it apt to emphasize the joy of discovery that I have experienced through synthetic chemistry. The molecular beauty, structural diversity and ingenious functions of the machinery of life,1, 2 which evolved from a remarkably limited repertoire of building…