Researchers at the University of Münster have developed a new technique that uses light to produce highly strained housane molecules. These compact structures could support advances in drug development and materials science.
A team led by Prof. Frank Glorius at the University of Münster's Institute of Organic Chemistry in Germany introduced the method. It converts simple hydrocarbons known as 1,4-dienes into housanes through photocatalysis, which supplies the energy needed for the transformation.