Some aspects of existence of elementary carbon with sp-hybridized bonds

The existence of elementary carbon with sp-hybridized bonds was shown to be impossible if its single chains cannot be retained in a sufficient mutual distance. The course of synthesis of the nuclei of a skeleton from carbon macromolecules in sp state is discussed on the basis of experimental data which characterize the products of reduction of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) with Li-amalgam (WAXS, SAXS, Li-content, densities of reduction products, adsorption measurements). Cubic crystallities of LiF, growing during the reduction from Li⁺ and F⁻ ions to the size of 3.3 nm, were shown as structure-determining elements. A novel polymeric compound of carbon with lithium is formed by PTFE reduction. A structural scheme of this compound, based on narrow monolayer ribbons of six-membered rings, is proposed. Lithium atoms bound to the edge-atoms hinder the extension of the ribbons to a graphite-like sheet. Many physico-chemical properties of the carbon skeleton (nongraphitic state, surface area, adsorption capacity, easy oxidability) can be explained on the basis of the proposed mechanism of its synthesis.