The syntheses of [2]- and [3]catenanes by olefin metathesis and oxidative acetylide coupling have been studied in detail. Pseudorotaxanes that were obtained by mixing crown ether and ammonium salts containing two terminal reactive end-groups were converted to [2]- and [3]catenane. Their yields were influenced not only by the chain length of the ammonium salts but also by the concentration of the crown ether and the ammonium salts. The strain energies of [2]catenane were responsible for the formation of [2]catenane.