In 1991 the organic chemist Sir Fraser Stoddart, who has died aged 82, synthesised artificial molecular machines for the first time. They mimic the way that some biological materials are able to move in a quasi-mechanical, interlocking way.
Stoddart had previously noted that natural occurring organic molecules such as the protein myosin, which drives the contraction of muscles, or motor enzymes that help maintain DNA, acted like tiny machines. He realised that the molecular components of these machines could, like the cogs, pistons and switches of macroscale machines, move relative to each other and, more importantly, can bond together mechanically and become entangled. By building their synthetic equivalents, powered by electrical energy, chemical reactions or light, he created an entirely new field in organic chemistry.
