© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. The stabilization of long [n]cumulenes has traditionally been achieved by placing sterically bulky "protecting groups" at the termini, which shield the reactive carbon chain from unwanted reactions. Herein, we present an alternative strategy: stabilization through threading the sp-hybridized carbon chain through a phenanthroline-based macrocycle. The result is stable [9] cumulene rotaxanes that enable the study of properties as a function of length for [n]cumulenes in unprecedented detail, including by quantitative UV/Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. The experimental results are supported by DFT calculations.
