New Strategies for Synthesizing Short Sections of Carbon Nanotubes

摘要

Dent and battered benzene rings" have captivated organic chemists since the middle of the last century. Most commonly, the bending is enforced by bridging the para (or meta) positions of benzene with short chains of atoms to produce "cyclophanes". The degree of bending depends inversely on the length of the tether, and these strained macrocycles sometimes contain more than one bridged benzene ring. Cyclophanes incorporating bent naphthalene units or even larger polyarenes have also been prepared. In recent months, one of the highest unclimbed pinnacles in this field was finally conquered, and shortly thereafter, the impressive record for bending was resoundingly shattered. Figure 1 depicts the new cyclophanes that have recently rocked this venerable branch of chemistry. The scientists responsible for their synthesis have noted the structural features that these compounds share with carbon nanotubes (Figure 1), and they are already contemplating ways to extend their successes toward the rational, chemical synthesis of carbon nanotubes.