Sunday, August 20, 2017

organic chemistry - Five-pointed crown alkane C25H40: does it exist?


My 4 year old granddaughter, playing with molecular models, began making a cyclopentane ring, each of whose carbons bore a spiro-connected cyclopentane ring of its own , in the manner of spiro[4.4]nonane. If she hadn't run out of carbon atoms first, the result would have been a pentagonal crown, with the five outer cyclopentane rings perpendicular to the central one.


pentaspiro[4.0.46.0.411.0.416.0.421.05]pentacosane


I wonder if such an alkane has been synthesized. Its molecular formula would be $\ce{C25H40}$. I can't think of why the molecule would be unstable or sterically impossible, but I couldn't find it in a Google search on $\ce{C25H40}$.


In particular, I wonder if the five outer rings would be exactly perpendicular to the center one (eclipsed), or somewhat staggered.





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