(Invited) Thermally Selective Skeletal Rearrangements at Interfaces

Thermal rearrangements, in which an atom, ion or chemical unit of a molecule is rearranged to obtain a structural isomer of the original molecule under a thermal stimulus, represents an excellent alternative to induce the formation of novel antiaromatic PCHs and conjugated polymers not accessible otherwise. Only recently, a few strain-induced rearrangement reactions of precursors that are composed of rigid and strained three dimensional (3D) structures have shown skeletal rearrangements in their backbone after planarization on metal surfaces. In this respect, the selectivity of on-surface chemical reaction pathways is a promising approach to increase synthetic versatility, though remains largely underexplored. In this talk I will review our recent discoveries regarding the exploitation of thermal rearrangements to form 0D, 1D and 2D unique molecular nanocarbons.