The Journey for the Synthesis of Large Acenes

Acenes, the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with linearly fused benzene rings, possess distinctive electronic properties with potential applicability in material science. Hexacene was the largest acene obtained and characterized in the last century, followed by heptacene in 2006. Since then, a race for obtaining the largest acene resulted in the development of several members of this family as well as diverse innovative synthetic strategies, from solid-state chemistry to the promising on-surface chemistry. This last technique allows the obtention of large acenes, up to tridecacene, the largest acene so far. This review presents the different methodologies employed for the synthesis of acenes, highlighting the newest studies, to provide a much more thorough understanding of the essence of the electronic structure of this captivating group of organic compounds.