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Organic chemistry

Aromatics with a twist

The properties of flat aromatic molecules are well known to chemists, but some non-planar aromatics remain a mystery. A molecule that can twist into a Möbius band on command might shed light on their features.

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Figure 1: Annulenes and aromaticity.
Figure 2: A molecular topological switch.

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Herges, R. Aromatics with a twist. Nature 450, 36–37 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/450036a

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