Construction of a C3V symmetric [6,6] nanotube end-cap: Building a solid foundation for rational nanotube synthesis

ORGN 751

Anthony P. Belanger, belangan@bc.edu, Matthew F. Ambury, ambury@bc.edu, and Lawrence T. Scott, lawrence.scott@bc.edu. Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon St, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Carbon nanotubes have received much attention in recent years due to their vast array of interesting and useful properties. However, researchers in fields ranging from chemistry to computer science have been unable to fully exploit all that nanotubes have to offer due to the current inability to efficiently create or separate any one particular variety. Our approach to solving this selectivity problem employs the C3V [6,6] end-cap 1 as a template for nanotube elongation. The synthetic challenge of the highly curved end-cap has been retrosynthetically dissected into trimeric precursor 2. This trimer has been successfully accessed via aldol-trimerization of the ketone 3. Efforts to cyclodehydrogenate the trimer are currently underway. Once obtained, it is envisioned that this end-cap may be elongated through repetitive Diels-Alder reactions with acetylene to give the corresponding C3V nanotube.

 

Combinatorial, Parallel and Process Chemistry, Heterocycles, Aromatics, New Reactions and Methodology
8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Division of Organic Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007