Sylindrene

Sylindrene is a fictional chemical compound commonly cited in speculative chemistry and science fiction to illustrate the properties of cylindrical polycyclic aromatic systems. It is not known to exist in nature, and there are no verified experimental records of its synthesis or characterization. The term is used mainly as a thought experiment about molecular curvature and electronic delocalization.

Etymology and concept: The name sylindrene combines "cylinder" with conventional hydrocarbon naming, signaling a proposed tubular geometry. In many depictions, sylindrene is imagined as a fusion of aromatic rings arranged around an axis, producing a hollow, tube-like molecule rather than a flat sheet.

Structure and properties (in fiction): The imagined structure features a cylindrical backbone with a high degree of symmetry. The molecule is described as rigid, with extensive π-conjugation along the axis, enabling unusual optical or conductive behavior in speculative contexts. Its stability is typically debated, with fictional accounts noting sensitivity to temperature and reactive environments.

Contexts and discussions: Sylindrene is often used in discussions of curved aromaticity, strain energy, and the limits of planar chemistry. In science fiction, such molecules appear as energy carriers, nanomachine components, or solvents that alter reaction pathways, underscoring the contrast between hypothetical constructs and real chemistry.

Relation to real chemistry: While sylindrene remains fictional, it echoes real-world research on cyclacenes, warped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and carbon nanotubes that explore curvature and aromaticity in carbon networks. These studies provide a framework for imagining what a cylinder-shaped PAH could entail, without asserting sylindrene's existence.

See also: Cyclacenes, Carbon nanotubes, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. References: This article describes sylindrene as a fictional concept used in speculative chemistry and is not based on experimental evidence.