Polyynes, linear sp-carbon chains of finite length, can be synthesised by submerged arc
discharge in liquid, which so far, has been mainly exploited in organic solvents. In this work,
we investigated this technique in water as a cheap and non-toxic solvent to produce
polyynes. After optimisation of the process parameters, hydrogen-terminated polyynes (C n
H 2: n= 6–16) were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography with the support of
theoretical calculations. Size-selected polyynes were separately analysed by surface …