Selective Synthesis of Strained [7]Cycloparaphenylene: An Orange-Emitting Fluorophore

[n]Cycloparaphenylenes, which are short fragments of carbon nanotubes, have unique size-dependent optical properties. In this communication, we describe the first synthesis of [7]cycloparaphenylene ([7]CPP), the smallest cycloparaphenylene prepared to date. In order to access this structure, we have developed a synthetic route that capitalizes on successive orthogonal Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. [7]CPP has 83 kcal/mol of strain energy and an orange emission at 592 nm.