Single and Double Ionization of Corannulene and Coronene

Electron‐transfer processes that involve single and doubly charged cations of corannulene (C₂₀H₁₀) and coronene (C₂₄H₁₂) are examined by three different mass‐spectrometric techniques. Photoionization studies give first‐ionization energies of IE(C₂₀H₁₀)=7.83±0.02 eV and IE(C₂₄H₁₂)=7.21 ±0.02 eV. Photoionizations of the neutrals to the doubly charged cations occur at thresholds of 20.1±0.2 eV and 18.5±0.2 eV for corannulene and coronene, respectively. Energy‐resolved charge‐stripping mass spectrometry yields kinetic energy deficits of Q_min(C₂₀H=13.8±0.3 eV and Q_min(C₂₄H=12.8±0.3 eV for the transitions from the mono‐ to the corresponding dications in keV collisions. Reactivity studies of the C₂₀H and C₂₄H dications in a selected‐ion flow‐tube mass spectrometer are used to determine the onsets for the occurrence of single‐electron transfer from several neutral reagents to the dications, affording two different monocationic products. With decreasing IEs of the neutral reagents, electron transfer to doubly charged corannulene is first observed with hexafluorobenzene (IE=9.91 eV), while neutrals with lower IEs are required in the case of the coronene dication, e.g., NO₂ (IE=9.75 eV). Density‐functional theory is used to support the interpretation of the experimental data. The best estimates of the ionization energies evaluated are IE(C₂₀H₁₀)=7.83±0.02 eV and IE(C₂₄H₁₂)=7.21 ±0.02 eV for the neutral molecules, and IE(C₂₀H)=12.3±0.2 eV and IE(C₂₄H)=11.3±0.2 eV for the monocations.