ABSTRACT
Hg Lamp) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 18.5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
In this chapter we will discuss some chemical properties of polyynes obtained from the electric arc and the possible application of the submerged electric carbon arc technique as a tool for the low-cost synthesis of polyynes. In fact, the polyynes cannot be easily synthesized and in general are also
of low stability. The use of the submerged electric arc is a promising easy route to these molecules, which can be used as building blocks in chemical synthesis. The main application of polyynes is in synthetic chemistry where molecules with biological activity and which can be used as drugs can be designed. The research on naturally occurring acetylenes has shown the enormous potential of these and related molecules containing the polyyne moieties, as will be discussed in Chapter 19.
