Tetracene

For the initiating explosive, see tetrazene.

Tetracene
IUPAC name Tetracene
Other names Naphthacene Benz[b]anthracene 2,3-Benzanthracene
Identifiers
CAS number	92-24-0 Y
PubChem	7080
ChemSpider	6813 Y
ChEBI	CHEBI:32600 Y
Jmol-3D images	Image 1
SMILES c34cc2cc1ccccc1cc2cc3cccc4
InChI InChI=1S/C18H12/c1-2-6-14-10-18-12-16-8-4-3-7-15(16)11-17(18)9-13(14)5-1/h1-12H Y Key: IFLREYGFSNHWGE-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
Properties
Molecular formula	C18H12
Molar mass	228.29 g/mol
Appearance	Yellow to orange solid
Melting point	357 °C, 630 K, 675 °F
Solubility in water	Insoluble
Hazards
EU Index	Not listed
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Tetracene, also called naphthacene, is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. It has the appearance of a pale orange powder. Tetracene is the four-ringed member of the series of acenes, the previous one being anthracene (tricene) and the next one being pentacene.

Tetracene is a molecular organic semiconductor, used in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In May 2007, researchers from two Japanese universities, Tohoku University in Sendai and Osaka University, have reported an ambipolar light-emitting transistor made of a single tetracene crystal.^[1] Ambipolar means that the electric charge is transported by both, positively charged holes and negatively charged electrons. Tetracene can be also used as a gain medium in dye lasers as a sensitiser in chemoluminescence.

Jan Hendrik Schön during his time at Bell Labs (1997–2002) claimed to have developed an electrically pumped laser based on tetracene. However, his results could not be reproduced, and it is considered to be scientific fraud.^[2]

References

1. ^ T. Takahashi, T. Takenobu, J. Takeya, Y. Iwasa (2007). "Ambipolar Light-Emitting Transistors of a Tetracene Single Crystal". Advanced Functional Materials 17 (10): 1623–1628. doi:10.1002/adfm.200700046. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114266185/ABSTRACT. 
2. ^ Agin, Dan (2007). Junk Science: An Overdue Indictment of Government, Industry, and Faith Groups That Twist Science for Their Own Gain. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312374808. http://books.google.com/?id=VxcjOL1j8iAC.