Staffane
Introduction File:Staffane.svg|nstaffane|thumb|right|150pxA '''staffane''' or '''nstaffane''' is an organic compound, a polycyclic hydrocarbon with molecular structure H--C≡(-CH2-)3≡C-''n''-H, for some integer ''n'' ≥ 1.The chemical formula is therefore C5''n''H6''n''+2Staffanes were first obtained in 1988 by Piotr Kaszyński and Josef Michl, by spontaneous polymerization of 1.1.1-Propellane|1.1.1-propellane C5H6 or C2(=CH2)3.In the reaction, the axial C-C bond of the propellane (the "bridge") is broken, creating a free bond on each of the two axial carbons (the "bridgeheads"). The resulting structural unit -C≡(-CH2-)3≡C- is a rigid cage, consisting of two carbon atoms joined by three methylene bridges; therefore the joined units are constrained to lie on a straight line. This feature has generated substantial interest among nanotechnology researchers, who have considered staffane oligomers as convenient "rigid rods" for building all sorts of nanostructures.An oligomer with a specific number ''n'' of units is denoted by  ''''''''n'''''staffane''' (e.g., '''1staffane''', '''2staffane''', etc..)  The notation '''nstaffane''' is used when the number of units is variable or unspecified; in this case the "n" in the brackets is not a variable, but the letter "n", considered part of the name.
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