Charge-transfer absorption spectra between tetracyclo[3.2.0.02,7.04,6]heptane and π-type electron acceptors

Charge-transfer transition energies, association constants, and molar extinction coefficients of complexes between tetracyclo[3.2.0.0^2,7.0^4,6]heptane(quadricyclane) and olefine type or quinone type acceptors were measured in methylene chloride at 20°. An excellent linear relationship (r = 0·9938) with a slope of 0·96 was observed in plots of ν_max(CT) for a series of complexes of quadricyclane against ν_max(CT) for the corresponding complexes of N,N-dimethyl-aniline, indicating that quadricyclane forms electron donor-acceptor complexes of weak interactions. The first ionization potential, estimated from the hyperbolic relationship between the charge-transfer transition energy (E_CT) and the ionization potential, was an exceptionally low value (8·28–8·32 eV) for a saturated hydrocarbon and was indeed in the same order of magnitude with that of norbornadiene, which was well reproduced by EHM and MINDO/1 calculations applying Koopmans' theorem to the calculated HOMO energy.