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A surprisingly high stability, which cannot be explained in terms of the “corset effect” alone, characterizes the new tetrahedrane 1 ( ), which melts at 162°C and is transformed into the cyclobutadiene 2 at ca. 180°C. The SiMe3 group is presumably crucial for the stabilization. Moreover, it allows further functionalization of the tetrahedrane.
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Maier et al. (1989) studied this question.
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