  Azulene, the smallest neutral nonalternant aromatic hydrocarbon, serves as
not only a prototype for fundamental studies but also a versatile building
block for functional materials because of its unique opto(electronic)
properties. Here, we report the on-surface synthesis and characterization of
the homopolymer of azulene connected exclusively at the 2,6-positions using
2,6-diiodoazulene as the monomer precursor. As an intermediate to the formation
of polyazulene, a gold-(2,6-azulenylene) chain is observed.
