The chemical is described as a derivative of hexaphenyl ethane, where hindrance of the six phenyl groups would stretch ethane's C-C bond. The "extremely close together" in the Science Daily article would seem to be wrong, I'd think.
Correction: it's not hexaphenyl ethane; "derivative" was doing some heavy lifting there.
This is very admirable work but I would say it's a bit of a "stretch" myself since there is little difference whether there is any bond between the two designated carbons or not. The molecule retains its structure whether or not there is a bond at that point. In parallel to this single-electron bond is a strong 3-carbon chain with pi electrons all over the place, actually holding the structure together.
A very interesting material as a cationic hydrocarbon iodide "salt".
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/09/240925122902.h...
The chemical is described as a derivative of hexaphenyl ethane, where hindrance of the six phenyl groups would stretch ethane's C-C bond. The "extremely close together" in the Science Daily article would seem to be wrong, I'd think.
Correction: it's not hexaphenyl ethane; "derivative" was doing some heavy lifting there.