Macrocycle
In chemistry, especially organic chemistry, a macrocycle is a molecule made of a large ring of atoms. According to IUPAC, the term means a cyclic macromolecule, but is also used by many chemists to describe cyclic compounds that are smaller than macromolecules but larger than simple cycles.[1]
The exact number of atoms where a cycle becomes a macrocycle is not firmly defined. One common definition is a cyclic compound where the cycle has twelve or more atoms in it.[2] This matches a drop in ring strain in the cycloalkanes, as cyclododecane and larger rings can assume more stable shapes than the medium-weight rings (cyclooctane through cycloundecane).[3]
Sources
[change | change source]- ↑ IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. (the "Gold Book") (2025). Online version: (2006–) "Macrocycle". doi:10.1351/goldbook.M03662
- ↑ Garcia Jimenez, Diego; Poongavanam, Vasanthanathan; Kihlberg, Jan (2023). "Macrocycles in Drug Discovery─Learning from the Past for the Future". Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 66 (8): 5377–5396. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00134. PMC 10150360. PMID 37017513.
- ↑ "Ring Strain in Cycloalkanes". Chem220js. Yale University. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
