Skeleton editing yields giant chiral decagon nanocarbon and twisted nanographene
Researchers demonstrate a skeletal-transformation strategy that cleaves inner double bonds in π‑conjugated hydrocarbons to create all‑sp2 10‑membered rings, enabling the enantioselective synthesis of three decagon‑containing chiral nanocarbon molecules (PhenCBBC 1, DBCCBBC 2, HBCCBBC 3) with figure‑eight or bathtub shapes. A subsequent inner‑bond reformation converts DBCCBBC 2 into a π‑extended double helicene (and, in a separate route, yields a racemization‑resistant, highly curved nanographene 4 with a porous, homochiral crystal framework). The work broadens nanocarbon synthesis beyond stepwise bond formation, highlighting a versatile pathway to large, stable chiral carbon architectures and helicene‑based materials.
