Chemical mechanism of carbon nanotube opening

Chemical mechanism of carbon nanotube opening. A section of the nanotube sidewall is shown in 1. The initial wall in 1 is subject to permanganate oxidation to afford the manganate ester 2 [(RO)2MnO2- or (RO)2MnO2H if protonated] which can oxidize further to the dione 3 in the dehydrating medium. The severe steric hindrance induced by the juxtaposed ketones in 3 distorts the β,γ-alkenes (red) making them more prone to the next attack by permanganate resulting in 4 and eventually to the fully cut nanotube 5. Image by: James M. Tour