Oxidative polycondensation of acetylene by iodine in the presence of a palladium-copper catalyst

A new method for oxidative coupling of mono-substituted acetylenes to corresponding di-substituted butadiynes under anaerobic conditions was applied to polycondensation of acetylene to carbyne, giving both a soluble sticky product and an insoluble black powder. The former was oligoynes that have several lengths of polyyne terminated with phenyl group and the latter resembled carbyne reported before. Electrical conductivity of the latter was an order of 10−8 S/cm, which increased to an order of 10−5 S/cm after k doping.