ladderane

Etymology
, from the resemblance of its chemical structure to a ladder.

Noun

 * 1)  Any of a class of polycyclic hydrocarbons, consisting of repeating cyclobutane moieties, that resemble ladders
 * Aldrichimica Acta Volume 30 No 4 (pdf) from Sigma-Aldrich
 * This process has been developed into an [n]ladderane synthesis by starting with the dihydro derivative 5 of Smith’s diene and working in tandem.

Usage notes

 * Preceded with [n] to indicate the number of rings.