Toward the Synthesis of Highly Processable Long-Chain Carbyne Using Multilevel Pulse Injection

Scheme 1

Spontaneous crosslinking of two adjacent carbyne chains. The orbital overlap favors the formation of a 4-membered carbon ring as shown. Single bonds are pictured as being formed between C4 of the upper carbyne chain and C16 of the lower carbyne chain and similarly between C5 and C17. Note that all carbon atoms are equally likely to react. The sp-sp² transition of the carbon atoms participating in crosslinking results in molecular deformation due to the change in bond angle from 180° to 120°. This pushes carbyne chains apart at the source of the crosslink, thereby inhibiting nearby triple bonds to react and limiting the maximum possible crosslink density.