DAlembertin

DAlembertin is a fictional chemical compound created for use in speculative science and fiction. The name honors the 18th-century mathematician Jean le Rond D'Alembert. The compound has no basis in real-world chemistry; its properties are defined within its fictional setting.

In the imagined taxonomy, DAlembertin is a small organic molecule with a hypothetical molecular formula C15H16N2O2. It is described as a pale crystalline solid with moderate solubility in organic solvents and limited water solubility. The core structure is a fused heterocycle combining a pyridine ring with a benzimidazole-like unit, bearing an ether substituent and a pendant aryl group. The substance is said to be photochemically active and thermally stable under ambient conditions, but it degrades under intense UV exposure.

Synthesis within the story is depicted as a two-step sequence starting from simple aniline- and pyridine-derived precursors, involving cyclization to form the core and a final oxidation step. Laboratory notes in the fiction emphasize inert-atmosphere technique and careful purification to prevent isomer formation.

Proposed applications in the fictional universe include use as a redox mediator in experimental energy-storage concepts, a chromophore for electrochromic devices, and a catalyst for selective organic transformations. While DAlembertin has been referenced in various sci-fi texts, it remains a non-existent compound outside those narratives.