Skeletal reactions of perfluoromethylethyl- and perfluorodiethylbenzocyclobutenes with 1,1- and 1,2-alkyl groups in SbF5

Taking perfluoro-1,1-dialkylbenzocyclobutenes as examples, it has been shown to be possible to enlarge the four-membered ring in polyfluorobenzocyclobutenes to five-membered in the presence of SbF₅, by cleavage of the four-membered ring followed by cyclization of the resulting polyfluorostyrene to the polyfluoroindane, which then undergoes further reactions. Perfluoro-1-methyl-1-ethylbenzocyclobutene isomerizes at 50°C in the presence of SbF₅ to perfluoro-,-o -trimethylstyrene, which is reversibly converted at 130°C into perfluoro-1,2-dimethylindane. Perfluoro-l,l-diethylbenzocyclobutene isomerizes at 130°C in the presence of SbF₅ to give perfluoro- -ethyl-,o -dimethylstyrene, which at 170°C gives perfluoro-2-methyl-3-ethylindene- and perfluoro-2-methyl-3-ethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindene. The last two compounds, together with perfluoro-o-dipropylbenzene, are obtained from per fluoro-1,2-diethylbenzocyclobutene-with SbF₅ at 170°C. From perfluoro-1-methyl-2-ethylbenzocyclobutene with SbF₅ at 95°C there is obtained perfluoro-1-ethylindane, while at 130°C, in addition to the latter compound, there are obtained perfluorinated 1,1-dimethylindane, 1,2-dimethylindane, ,,o-trimethylstyrene, 2,3-dimethylindene, and 2,3-dimethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindene.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1114–1120, May, 1990.     

The investigation of the electronic effects of polyfluoro-aryl group by means of nmr spectroscopy

The relationship between NMR ¹⁵N, ¹⁷O, ³¹P, ⁷⁷Se, ¹³C spectral parameters and electronic structure of number of polyfluoroaromatic compounds has been discussed. The increase of the nuclei shielding has been found in all classes of investigated polyfluorinated compounds in respect to the corresponding hydrocarbon analogues. That effect has been discussed in terms of decrease of the conjugation between the unshared electron density of heteroatoms and the π-system of polyfluorinated benzene ring. The conductivity of substituent electronic effects on the π-system of the polyfluoroaryl group by the heteroatom has been estimated from NMR ¹³C data. The sensitivity of nuclei shielding towards interamolecular electronic effects has been noticed to increase from oxygen to selenium and the analysis of the influence of the intramolecular electronic effects on the ¹⁷O and ⁷⁷Se shifts has been given. The influence of the substituents either in pentafluorophenyl ring or adjacent to heteroatom have been shown to correspond those in the hydrocarbon analogues.The conclusion about the influence of polyfluoroaryl group on the character of bonds between different atoms in functional group has been made from the NMR ¹⁷O and ¹⁵N data for aromatic nitro-derivatives. Polyfluorophenyl group in respect to phenyl one deshields the oxygen atom and shields the nitrogen atom. The same effect of pentafluorophenyl group has been observed by other spectral methods.The different screening of ¹⁷O, ¹⁵N, ³¹P and ⁷⁷Se nuclei due to the action of substituents adjacent to the element and variation of the coordination number of heteroatom have been used to the solvation of a number of problems in chemistry of the heteroanalogues of carbenium ions and the detail investigation of the mechanism of electrophylic substitution in the field of polyfluoroaromatic compounds.     

Real time microscopy, kinetics, and mechanism of giant fullerene evaporation

We report in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observing the shrinkage of single-layer giant fullerenes (GF). At temperatures approximately 2000 degrees C, the GF volume reduces by greater than one 100-fold while the fullerene shell remains intact, evolving from a slightly polygonized to a nearly spherical shape with a smaller diameter. The number of carbon atoms in the GF decreases linearly with time until the small subbuckyball cage opens and rapidly disappears. Theoretical modeling indicates that carbon atoms are removed predominantly from the weakest binding energy sites, i.e., the pentagons, leading to the constant evaporation rate. The fullerene cage integrity is attributed to the collective behavior of interacting defects. These results constitute the first experimental evidence for the "shrink-wrapping" and "hot-giant" fullerene formation mechanisms.     

Large Hexagonal Bi‐ and Trilayer Graphene Single Crystals with Varied Interlayer Rotations

Bi‐ and trilayer graphene have attracted intensive interest due to their rich electronic and optical properties, which are dependent on interlayer rotations. However, the synthesis of high‐quality large‐size bi‐ and trilayer graphene single crystals still remains a challenge. Here, the synthesis of 100 μm pyramid‐like hexagonal bi‐ and trilayer graphene single‐crystal domains on Cu foils using chemical vapor deposition is reported. The as‐produced graphene domains show almost exclusively either 0° or 30° interlayer rotations. Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier‐transformed infrared spectroscopy were used to demonstrate that bilayer graphene domains with 0° interlayer stacking angles were Bernal stacked. Based on first‐principle calculations, it is proposed that rotations originate from the graphene nucleation at the Cu step, which explains the origin of the interlayer rotations and agrees well with the experimental observations.     

Kinetic theory of symmetry-dependent strength in carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes yield to mechanical force by a primary dislocation dipole whose formation energy describes the thermodynamic stability of the tubule. However, the real-time strength is determined by the rate of defect formation, defined in turn by the activation barrier for the bond flip. First extensive computations of the kinetic barriers for a variety of strain-lattice orientations lead to predictions of the yield strength. Its value depends on nanotube chiral symmetry, in a way very different from the thermodynamic assessment.     

Two‐Dimensional Boron Monolayers Mediated by Metal Substrates

Two‐dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene and boron nitride, have specific lattice structures independent of external conditions. In contrast, the structure of 2D boron sensitively depends on metal substrate, as we show herein using the cluster expansion method and a newly developed surface structure‐search method, both based on first‐principles calculations. The preferred 2D boron on weaker interacting Au is nonplanar with significant buckling and numerous polymorphs as in vacuum, whereas on more reactive Ag, Cu, and Ni, the polymorphic energy degeneracy is lifted and a particular planar structure is found to be most stable. We also show that a layer composed of icosahedral B₁₂ is unfavorable on Cu and Ni but unexpectedly becomes a possible minimum on Au and Ag. The substrate‐dependent 2D boron choices originate from a competition between the strain energy of buckling and chemical energy of electronic hybridization between boron and metal.