NanoPutian

NanoKid
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
2-(2,5-bis(3,3-dimethylbut-1-yn-1-yl)-4-{[3,5-di(pent-1-yn-1-yl)phenyl]ethynyl}phenyl)-1,3-dioxolane
Other names
  • 1,3-dioxolane, 2-[2,5-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyn-1-yl)-4-[2-(3,5-di-1-pentyn-1-ylphenyl)ethynyl]phenyl]
  • NanoKid
  • NanoPutian
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
UNII
  • O1CCOC1c1c(C#CC(C)(C)C)cc(c(C#CC(C)(C)C)c1)C#Cc1cc(C#CCCC)cc(C#CCCC)c1
Properties
C39H42O2
Molar mass 542.763 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

NanoPutians are a series of organic molecules whose structural formulae resemble human forms.[1] James Tour's research group designed and synthesized these compounds in 2003 as a part of a sequence on chemical education for young students.[2] The compounds consist of two benzene rings connected via a few carbon atoms as the body, four acetylene units each carrying an alkyl group at their ends which represents the hands and legs, and a 1,3-dioxolane ring as the head. Tour and his team at Rice University used the NanoPutians in their NanoKids educational outreach program. The goal of this program was to educate children in the sciences in an effective and enjoyable manner. They have made several videos featuring the NanoPutians as anthropomorphic animated characters.

Construction of the structures depends on Sonogashira coupling and other synthetic techniques. By replacing the 1,3-dioxolane group with an appropriate ring structure, various other types of putians have been synthesized, e.g. NanoAthlete, NanoPilgrim, and NanoGreenBeret. Placing thiol (R-SH) functional groups at the end of the legs enables them to "stand" on a gold surface.

"NanoPutian" is a portmanteau of nanometer, a unit of length commonly used to measure chemical compounds, and lilliputian, a fictional race of humans in the novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

  1. ^ Chanteau, S. H.; Tour, J. M. (2003). "Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules: The NanoPutians". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 68 (23): 8750–66. doi:10.1021/jo0349227. PMID 14604341.
  2. ^ Chanteau, S. H.; Ruths, T.; Tour, J. M. (2003). "Arts and Sciences Reunite in Nanoput: Communicating Synthesis and the Nanoscale to the Layperson". Journal of Chemical Education. 80 (4): 395. Bibcode:2003JChEd..80..395C. doi:10.1021/ed080p395.