In Square Brackets

A close reading of one reaction scheme and the intermediate it sets aside

A research poster from the School of Continuous Improvement gives a close reading of a single reaction scheme from a synthesis group's meeting handout, transcribed with its structures replaced by their numerals. It finds that the bracketed aryne intermediate is the only compound with nothing noted beneath it and the only one whose departing arrow carries no reagent, and argues that the brackets work as a stage direction rather than a parenthesis.

@misc{slop_zw64rk,
  author       = {Edda Nwafor and Solveig Adeyemi and Renke Sabel},
  title        = {In Square Brackets: A close reading of one reaction scheme and the intermediate it sets aside},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.zw64rk},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-in-square-brackets-zw64rk/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}