- A team of scientists from Florida State University, US have unlocked a novel strategy for synthesizing a highly versatile molecule called Olympicene.
- Olympicene is a compound of carbon and hydrogen atoms named for its Olympic logo shape.
- An olympicene is a molecule consisting of five rings that resemble the shape of the famous Olympic rings.
- In the journal Angewandte Chemie, the researchers say that this new process for synthesizing these molecules offers a unique tool for the preparation of structurally precise carbon-rich nanostructures.
- Olympicenes are like the decathletes of nanoscale molecules. Their range of potential applications include sophisticated sensors, information and energy storage, solar cells and high-tech LEDs.
- The first olympicene molecule was unveiled by British chemists in anticipation of the 2012 London Olympics.
- Until now, synthesizing these unique structures was only possible through an arduous and intensive seven-step process based largely on chemistry dating back to the 1960s.
- The researcher team’s new technique, an additional hexagonal ring of carbon atoms is fused to the zigzag edge of an existing carbon-rich molecule in two quick steps.
- In honor of this year’s Winter Olympic Games, the team christened the product of their innovative synthesis strategy ‘Ph-olympicene,’- the “P” reflecting both the phenyl group crucial to the synthesis of the molecule and a subtle nod to the host city PyeongChang.
