Frank C.

A series of  bis(benzimidazole)pyridine (BBP)-containing compounds have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Their birefringence values (Δn) were determined, ranging from Δn=0.08(1) to a very high 0.69(3), illustrating the effect on the measurable birefringence of the crystal quality, growth direction and structural alignment of the anisotropic BBP building blocks as described by V. E. Williams, D. B. Leznoff et al. in their Full Paper on page 16572 ff.

Antimatter: Once studied primarily for their antiaromatic properties, pentalenes are rapidly becoming important π-systems for novel electronic materials (see scheme). Recent developments in this area are summarized.