  Contributing to the need of new graphene nanoribbon (GNR) structures that can
be synthesized with atomic precision, we have designed a reactant that renders
chiral (3,1) - GNRs after a multi-step reaction including Ullmann coupling and
cyclodehydrogenation. The nanoribbon synthesis has been successfully proved on
different coinage metals, and the formation process, together with the
fingerprints associated to each reaction step, has been studied combining
scanning tunnelling microscopy, core-level spectroscopy and density functional
calculations. In addition to the GNR chiral edge structure, the substantial GNR
lengths achieved and the low processing temperature required to complete the
reaction grant this reactant extremely interesting properties for potential
applications.
