First radial-conjugated aromatic that does the twist

Chemists have made the first twisted aromatic compound with radially conjugated π-electron system. Its π-orbitals are oriented within the plane of the molecule, like the spokes of a wheel.

Since August Kekulé proposed benzene’s structure in 1865, aromaticity has fascinated chemists. They have twisted and turned it into unusual shapes, created dual and double aromatic compounds. Most of these structures, however, are planar aromatics, meaning their π orbitals lie parallel to the plane of the ring. Some tubular molecules – like carbon nanobelts – show a more unusual form of radial aromaticity, in which the π-electron system lies within the overall plane of the ring structure.