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In 2017, researchers synthesized decatwistacene, a ten-ring acene whose overall end-to-end torsion measured about 170 degrees in single-crystal X-ray analyses. The authors described it as the longest twistacene and the largest torsion angle reported for the class at that time—not as a record confirmed to remain unbeaten today.

What did the researchers synthesize?

Wei Fan and colleagues reported two twisted acenes: hexatwistacene and decatwistacene. The “deca” in decatwistacene refers to its ten-ring acene framework. Unlike a flat acene, this molecule’s fused-ring structure is significantly twisted.

The team attributed the deformation to steric crowding: imide groups and neighboring fused benzene rings press against one another, forcing the structure out of a flat arrangement. The authors reported making both molecules through a bottom-up synthesis that used palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling and C–H activation. The 2017 paper describes the synthesis and structural analysis.

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What does the 170-degree twist measure?

Single-crystal X-ray analyses established decatwistacene’s structure and revealed an overall end-to-end torsion angle of about 170 degrees. This is a geometric measurement of the molecule’s twisted shape as determined from its crystal structure—not a measurement of how far it rotates over time.

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For context, Chemistry World’s 2017 report compared the result with a 144-degree angle reported for highly twisted pentacene. Those figures offer a sense of scale, but they are not a full like-for-like comparison of compounds and measurement methods.

In what sense was it a record?

The 2017 paper called decatwistacene the longest twistacene reported and its approximately 170-degree torsion the largest reported for the class. Those are publication-era claims: they describe what the authors reported against the literature available then. The sources cited here do not establish whether the molecule still holds either distinction in 2026.

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Why did the result matter?

The authors reported that the twisted molecules had enhanced solubility and stability with respect to light and oxygen. They associated these properties with the twisting deformations and with lower LUMO levels resulting from the introduction of imide groups. These are reported properties of the synthesized compounds, not evidence that a commercial material or device followed.

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The researchers also presented the work as a possible route toward narrow chiral graphene nanoribbons with good stability and processability. That is a prospective direction: the synthesis demonstrated twistacenes, not finished graphene nanoribbons or a practical application.

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Publication details

The paper, “A Decatwistacene with an Overall 170° Torsion,” was written by Wei Fan, Thorsten Winands, Nikos L. Doltsinis, Yan Li, and Zhaohui Wang. The publisher lists its first publication as October 13, 2017; PubMed records the journal issue publication date as November 27, 2017. It appeared in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, volume 56, issue 48, pages 15373–15377. PubMed’s article record provides the bibliographic details.

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