Overview

• In a Science paper published August 14, the researchers report synthesizing cyclo[48]carbon as a [4]catenane that remains intact in solution at 20 °C.
• The protected catenane exhibits a half-life of roughly 92 hours in deuterated dichloromethane at concentrations up to 300 µM, enabling extensive spectroscopic analysis.
• Characterization by mass spectrometry, Raman, UV-visible and a single intense 13C NMR resonance confirms the symmetric environment of all 48 sp-hybridized carbons.
• An unprotected cyclo[48]carbon species was also detected at low concentration, showing a one-hour half-life and matching UV-visible spectra of the catenane.
• The team’s next steps include crystallizing the catenane for X-ray diffraction and systematically exploring its reactivity and material properties.