Acepentalene is a

tricyclic Tricyclics are chemical compounds that contain three interconnected rings of atoms. Many compounds have a tricyclic structure, but in pharmacology, the term has traditionally been reserved to describe heterocyclic drugs. Among these are antid ...

anti-aromatic compound. Its molecular formula is . It consists of three five-membered rings fused across three of the five carbon atoms. The central carbon atom in acepentalene is part of all three rings. There are formally five double bonds in acepentalene, so that the molecule formally contains four double bonds on the exterior, and one double bond from the central carbon to the exterior of the ring system. The acepentalene

dianion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

, which can be stabilized by two

lithium Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid el ...

atoms, is more stable. The

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

anion is also known. The dianion was first synthesized by reacting triquinacene with

n-butyllithium ''n''-Butyllithium C4H9Li (abbreviated ''n''-BuLi) is an organolithium reagent. It is widely used as a polymerization initiator in the production of elastomers such as polybutadiene or styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS). Also, it is broadly emp ...

and potassium tert-amylate (also called potassium t-pentoxide) in

hexane Hexane () is an organic compound, a straight-chain alkane with six carbon atoms and has the molecular formula C6H14. It is a colorless liquid, odorless when pure, and with boiling points approximately . It is widely used as a cheap, relatively ...

solution.

References

{{reflist Antiaromatic compounds