Typical structure of a molecular knot, in this case a clover leaf knot.
A molecular knot or knotane is the term for a typical molecular structure, in which a cyclic structure assumes the configuration of a knot. Compounds with a molecular node, usually macrocyclic compounds, have at least two enantiomers. Examples of naturally occurring molecular nodes are DNA strands and a number of proteins (e.g., lactoferrin). Synthetic molecules with a knot typically have a globular shape (sections of about 1 nanometer) and can be used in nanotechnology. Also see
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