Versatile Bottom‐up Approach to Stapled π‐Conjugated Helical Scaffolds: Synthesis and Chiroptical Properties of Cyclic <i>o</i>‐Phenylene Ethynylene Oligomers

Abstract

Spring loaded: the smallest members of a family of carbon nanocoils (CNCs), adopting a fixed helical structure, have been synthesized by introduction of one or two staples in o-phenylene ethynylene oligomers. The chiroptical responses of the systems having enantiopure L-tartrate-derived staples confirmed the induced helicity. Theoretical studies suggest that these CNCs are pseudoelastic.