Diagnosis of magnetoresponsive aromatic and antiaromatic zones in three‐membered rings of d‐ and f‐block elements

Magnetoresponsive three‐membered rings of d‐ and f‐block elements have been thoroughly investigated with the help of electronic structure calculation methods. The magnetic response of the clusters was evaluated by the Nucleus Independent Chemical Shifts (NICS)_zz‐scan curves, which in conjunction with symmetry‐based selection rules for the most significant translationally and rotationally allowed transitions helped rationalize and predict the orbital‐type of aromaticity/antiaromaticity of the clusters. The magnetoresponsive early (Groups 3, 4, and 5) transition metal M₃ rings exhibit successive aromatic and antiaromatic zones separated by a nodal plane. The magnetoresponsive late (Groups 11 and 12) transition metal M₃ rings exhibit long‐range aromatic zone with the NICS_zz(R) values decaying rapidly and monotonically with respect to R. The magnetic response of Group 10 transition metal M₃ rings is similar to that of the early transition metal M₃ rings, but it is long‐range antiaromatic only for the [c‐Ni₃] cluster. The NICS_zz‐scan curve of the [(H_tLa)₃(μ₂‐H)₆] cluster is indicative of weak pure σ‐aromaticity due to the induced diatropic ring current from the translationally allowed a → e′ and e′ → a transitions. The aromatic–antiaromatic behavior of the [(H_tCe)₃(μ₂‐H)₆]⁺ and [(H_tTm)₃(μ₂‐H)₆]²⁻ clusters is similar to that of the early d‐block elements. The magnetic response of [(H_tYb)₃(μ₂‐H)₆]³⁻ is similar to that of [c‐Hg₃]²⁻. The [(H_tLu)₃(μ₂‐H)₆] cluster can be considered as a doubly (σ + π) aromatic system, with the σ‐aromatic component being much stronger than the π‐aromatic one. Finally, the [(X_tRe)₃(μ₂‐X)₆] and [(X_tRu)₃(μ₂‐X)₆]⁺ (X = Cl, Br, I) clusters exhibit significant aromatic character with the greatest contribution to the induced diatropic ring currents coming from π‐type transitions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010     

Aromaticity of giant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with hollow sites: super ring currents in super-rings

We present a systematic theoretical study based on semi-empirical, Hartree-Fock (HF), and density functional theory (DFT) models of a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that exhibit hollow sites. In this study we focus particularly on the magnetic criteria of aromaticity, namely (1)H NMR and nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS), and on their relationships with other electronic properties. The computed shifts and NICS indices indicate that an external magnetic field induces exceptionally strong ring currents in even-layered PAH doughnuts, in particular in the layer directly adjacent to the central hole of double-layered compounds. These exceptionally strong ring currents also correlate with particularly small HOMO-LUMO gaps and electronic excitation energies and to abnormally high polarizabilities, indicating in turn that these compounds have a more pronounced metallic character. Comparison is made with further depictions of aromaticity in these systems and in [18]-[66]annulene rings by employing topological, structural, and energetic criteria.     

Counter‐Rotating Spin‐Polarised Ring Currents in Odd‐Electron Carbocycles

We propose a molecular‐orbital model to explain how majority and minority spins in odd‐π‐electron carbocycles sustain counter‐rotating magnetic‐field‐induced ring currents. The model is based on the ipsocentric approach to magnetic response, in which ring currents are dominated by frontier‐orbital contributions obeying angular‐momentum selection rules. Coupled unrestricted Hartree–Fock ab initio calculations of the ring‐current responses for singly charged benzene and planarised cyclo‐octatetraene ions confirm the predictions of the qualitative model, and are consistent with correlated MP2 spin‐polarised current calculations.     

Triplet State Aromaticity: NICS Criterion,Hyperconjugation, and Charge Effects

Aromaticity, one of the most important concepts in organic chemistry, has attracted considerable interest from both experimentalists and theoreticians. It remains unclear which NICS index is best to evaluate the triplet‐state aromaticity. Here, we carry out thorough density functional theory (DFT) calculations to examine this issue. Our results indicate that among the various computationally available NICS indices, NICS(1)_zz is the best for the triplet state. The correlations can be improved from 0.840 to 0.938 when only neutral species are considered, demonstrating the significant effect of the charge on the triplet‐state aromaticity. In addition, calculations suggest that five‐membered cyclic species with “hyperconjugative” aromaticity (and antiaromaticity) in the S₀ state will become antiaromatic (and aromatic) in the T₁ state, indicating an important role of hyperconjugation. Finally, a moderate correlation (r²=0.708) is identified between the NICS(1)_zz values and spin distributions.     

Ring currents in condensed ring systems

We have studied magnetism and aromaticity of polycyclic ring systems by analyzing ring currents for different circulations in these molecules. The technique employed for calculating ring currents uses correction vectors which implicitly includes all the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian in the space of the chosen configurations. We have employed the Pariser–Parr–Pople Hamiltonian and have carried out full configuration interaction (CI) calculations for small systems and approximate CI calculations for large systems. The systems studied include polyacenes, nonaromatic ring systems including the C₆₀ fragments pyracylene, fluoranthene, and corannulene, and heteroatomic systems with upto two six-membered rings. We find that in polyacenes, the aromaticity of the extreme phenyl rings reduces with increasing number of phenyl rings in the system, and it saturates at ≈⅔ the benzene value. In systems containing nonaromatic rings, we find paramagnetic or diamagnetic behavior for different circulations depending upon the number of atoms in the chosen ring cycle, in agreement with the 4n+2 rule. In corannulene, the largest fragment of C₆₀ we have studied, the five-membered ring is weakly diamagnetic while the six-membered ring is more diamagnetic, although much less than in isolated benzene. The ring structures with heteroatoms studied are pyridine, pyrimidine, and its isomers, s-triazine, quinoline and its isomer, and quinazoline and its isomers. All these have similar ring currents as in their purely carbon counterparts, although ions of these molecules show interesting behavior. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 70: 503–513, 1998     

Aromaticity of ortho and meta 8-Cycloparaphenylene and Their Dications: Induced Magnetic Field Analysis with Localized and Delocalized Orbitals in Strained Nanohoops

Dications of cycloparaphenyles ([n]CPPs) are known to exhibit in-plane global aromaticity, contained in a nanobelt structure. Recently synthesized ortho and meta isomers of [n]CPPs break the radial symmetry of π structure incorporating perpendicular oriented π orbitals. Herein we set to explore the aromaticity of neutral and dicationic ortho and meta isomers of [8]CPP by dissecting the induced magnetic field to contributions of the twofold radial/perpendicular π system using delocalized canonical molecular orbitals (CMO), and introducing the natural localized molecular orbitals (NLMO) analysis with DFT methods. The dications sustain a reduced global aromatic character of the radial π system under a perpendicular orientation of the external field which declines from ortho to meta isomer and reinforces local aromaticity of ortho ring while it destroys aromaticity of meta ring. Aromaticity variations are determined by symmetry governed rotational excitations of frontier π orbitals. The parallel orientation reveals a substantial reduction of local aromaticity verified with NICS_π analysis and electron delocalization indices.     

Photomagnetic and nonlinear optical properties in cis‐trans green fluoroprotein chromophore coupled Bis‐imino nitroxide diradicals

The current study extends an earlier investigation (Bhattacharya, et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2012, 14, 6905) to further explore various photomagnetic and optical properties of bis‐imino nitroxide, that is, (IN)₂‐based green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore coupled diradicals revealing new significant features. The conversion mechanisms of selected trans‐isomers into their corresponding cis‐conformers are discussed in detailed using a number of recently‐developed density functional theory (DFT) functionals based on the Minnesota suite of DFT‐models as well as using some other DFT functionals developed earlier. To provide a more in‐depth analysis of variations in magnetic properties as trans‐conformers (singlet ground‐state) convert into their cis‐analogues (triplet ground‐state), the changes in exchange magnetic coupling constants J are compared with the variation of the selected aromaticity indices. The aromaticity indices include the nuclear independent chemical shift [NICS(0)] values calculated at the center of ring structures and the harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity. Furthermore, the investigation of static nonlinear optical response properties in the (IN)₂‐based GFP chromophore coupled diradicals reveal unusually large static first hyperpolarizabilities for these systems which is highly significant for practical applications in optics and optoelectronics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Benzonorcorrole NiII Complexes: Enhancement of Paratropic Ring Current and Singlet Diradical Character by Benzo‐Fusion

Fused benzene rings to antiaromatic compounds generally improve their stability but attenuate their antiaromaticity. The opposite case is now reported. Ni^II benzonorcorroles were synthesized and the effect of benzo‐fusion on the antiaromaticity was elucidated. The benzo‐fusion resulted in significant decrease of the HOMO–LUMO gaps and enhancement of the paratropic ring current effect. Furthermore, the introduction of the benzo groups induced singlet diradical character in the antiaromatic porphyrinoid.     

[Hg4Te8(Te2)4]8−: A Heavy Metal Porphyrinoid Embedded in a Lamellar Structure

The use of ionic liquids (C_nC₁Im)[BF₄] with long alkyl chains (n=10, 12) in the ionothermal treatment of Na₂[HgTe₂] led to lamellar crystal structures with molecular macrocyclic anions [Hg₈Te₁₆]^8? ( 1 ), the heaviest known topological relative of porphyrin. [Hg₈Te₁₆]^8? differs from porphyrin by the absence of an electronic π‐system, which prevents a “global” aromaticity. Quantum chemical studies reveal instead small ring currents in the pyrrole‐type five‐membered rings that indicate weak local (σ) aromaticity. As a result of their lamellar nature, the compounds are promising candidates for the formation of sheets containing chalcogenidometalate anions.     

carbo‐Naphthalene: A Polycyclic carbo‐Benzenoid Fragment of α‐Graphyne

A ring carbo‐mer of naphthalene, C₃₂Ar₈ (Ar=p‐n‐pentylphenyl), has been obtained as a stable blue chromophore, after a 19‐step synthetic route involving methods inspired from those used in the synthesis of carbo‐benzenes, or specifically devised for the present target, like a double Sonogashira‐type coupling reaction. The last step is a SnCl₂/HCl‐mediated reduction of a decaoxy‐carbo‐decalin, which is prepared through successive [8+10] macrocyclization steps. Two carbo‐benzene references are also described, C₁₈Ar₆ and o‐C₁₈Ar₄(C≡C‐SiiPr₃)₂. The carbo‐naphthalene bicycle is locally aromatic according to structural and magnetic criteria, as revealed by strong diatropic ring current effects on the deshielding of ¹H nuclei of the Ar groups and on the negative value of the DFT‐calculated NICS at the center of the C₁₈ rings (?12.8 ppm). The stability and aromaticity of this smallest fused molecular fragment of α‐graphyne allows prediction of the same properties for the carbon allotrope itself.     

Aromaticity of N-heterocyclic carbene and its analogues: Magnetically induced ring current perspective

The N-heterocyclic carbene, imidazole-2-ylidene, and its main group (13-15) analogues contain cyclically conjugated 6π electrons. Experimental ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra suggest an increase in aromaticity along a period from left to right. Whereas the order along a group is as follows: period 2 > period 5 > period 4 > period 3 due to change in structure. To understand the order of aromaticity, the magnetically induced ring currents of the molecules are calculated using aromatic ring current shielding, gauge-including magnetically induced currents (GIMIC) method and Stanger's σ-model applying the gauge-including atomic orbitals NMR technique. It is found that GIMIC best describes the order of aromaticity especially along a group where current-profile changes on the bivalent atom down a group due to change in electron density. Moreover, the GIMIC provides the visualization of current by sign modulus and the anisotropy of the induced current density plots.     

Aromaticity Effects on the Profiles of the Lowest Triplet‐State Potential‐Energy Surfaces for Rotation about the CC Bonds of Olefins with Five‐Membered Ring Substituents: An Example of the Impact of Baird’s Rule

A density functional theory study on olefins with five‐membered monocyclic 4n and 4n+2 π‐electron substituents (C₄H₃X; X=CH⁺, SiH⁺, BH, AlH, CH₂, SiH₂, O, S, NH, and CH^?) was performed to assess the connection between the degree of substituent (anti)aromaticity and the profile of the lowest triplet‐state (T₁) potential‐energy surface (PES) for twisting about olefinic C?C bonds. It exploited both Hückel’s rule on aromaticity in the closed‐shell singlet ground state (S₀) and Baird’s rule on aromaticity in the lowest ππ* excited triplet state. The compounds CH₂?CH(C₄H₃X) were categorized as set A and set B olefins depending on which carbon atom (C2 or C3) of the C₄H₃X ring is bonded to the olefin. The degree of substituent (anti)aromaticity goes from strongly S₀‐antiaromatic/T₁‐aromatic (C₅H₄⁺) to strongly S₀‐aromatic/T₁‐ antiaromatic (C₅H₄^?). Our hypothesis is that the shapes of the T₁ PESs, as given by the energy differences between planar and perpendicularly twisted olefin structures in T₁ [ΔE(T₁)], smoothly follow the changes in substituent (anti)aromaticity. Indeed, correlations between ΔE(T₁) and the (anti)aromaticity changes of the C₄H₃X groups, as measured by the zz‐tensor component of the nucleus‐independent chemical shift ΔNICS(T₁;1)_zz, are found both for sets A and B separately (linear fits; r²=0.949 and 0.851, respectively) and for the two sets combined (linear fit; r²=0.851). For sets A and B combined, strong correlations are also found between ΔE(T₁) and the degree of S₀ (anti)aromaticity as determined by NICS(S₀,1)_zz (sigmoidal fit; r²=0.963), as well as between the T₁ energies of the planar olefins and NICS(S₀,1)_zz (linear fit; r²=0.939). Thus, careful tuning of substituent (anti)aromaticity allows for design of small olefins with T₁ PESs suitable for adiabatic Z/E photoisomerization.     

A unified orbital model of delocalised and localised currents in monocycles, from annulenes to azabora-heterocycles

Why are some (4n+2)π systems aromatic, and some not? The ipsocentric approach to the calculation of the current density induced in a molecule by an external magnetic field predicts a four‐electron diatropic (aromatic) ring current for (4n+2)π carbocycles and a two‐electron paratropic (antiaromatic) current for (4n)π carbocycles. With the inclusion of an electronegativity parameter, an ipsocentric frontier‐orbital model also predicts the transition from delocalised currents in carbocycles to nitrogen‐localised currents in alternating azabora‐heterocycles, which rationalises the differences in (magnetic) aromaticity between these isoelectronic π‐conjugated systems. Ab initio valence‐bond calculations confirm the localisation predicted by the naïve model, and coupled‐Hartree–Fock calculations give current‐density maps that exhibit the predicted delocalised‐to‐localised/carbocycle–heterocycle transition.     

Quantum‐chemical analyses of aromaticity,UV spectra,and NMR chemical shifts in plumbacyclopentadienylidenes stabilized by Lewis bases

We carried out a series of zeroth‐order regular approximation (ZORA)‐density functional theory (DFT) and ZORA‐time‐dependent (TD)‐DFT calculations for molecular geometries, NMR chemical shifts, nucleus‐independent chemical shifts (NICS), and electronic transition energies of plumbacyclopentadienylidenes stabilized by several Lewis bases, (Ph)₂(^tBuMe₂Si)₂C₄PbL₁L₂ (L₁, L₂ = tetrahydrofuran, Pyridine, N‐heterocyclic carbene), and their model molecules. We mainly discussed the Lewis‐base effect on the aromaticity of these complexes. The NICS was used to examine the aromaticity. The NICS values showed that the aromaticity of these complexes increases when the donation from the Lewis bases to Pb becomes large. This trend seems to be reasonable when the 4n‐Huckel rule is applied to the fractional π‐electron number. The calculated ¹³C‐ and ²⁰⁷Pb‐NMR chemical shifts and the calculated UV transition energies reasonably reproduced the experimental trends. We found a specific relationship between the ¹³C‐NMR chemical shifts and the transition energies. As we expected, the relativistic effect was essential to reproduce a trend not only in the ²⁰⁷Pb‐NMR chemical shifts and J[Pb‐C] but also in the ¹³C‐NMR chemical shifts of carbons adjacent to the lead atom. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Local aromaticity in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: electron delocalization versus magnetic indices

The local aromaticity of benzenoid rings is examined by means of the Polansky index (P) and generalized population analysis (GPA). The results are found to agree very well with recently published circuit-condensed ring currents and magnetic-energetic aromaticity indices, but no correlation is found with nucleus independent chemical shifts (NICS). This is usually seen as a manifestation of the more general multidimensional nature of aromaticity. This paper examines the sources for the observed correlations, showing that some indices give conflicting results because they inherently reflect different phenomena.     

EU‐12: A Small‐Pore,High‐Silica Zeolite Containing Sinusoidal Eight‐Ring Channels

Zeolite EU‐12, the framework structure of which has remained unsolved during the past 30 years, is synthesized at a specific SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio using choline as an organic structure‐directing agent, with both Na⁺ and Rb⁺ ions present. Synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction and Rietveld analyses reveal that the EU‐12 structure has a two‐dimensional 8‐ring channel system. Among the two distinct 8‐ring (4.6×2.8 and 5.0×2.7 Å) channels along c axis, the smaller one interconnects with the sinusoidal 8‐ring (4.8×3.3 Å) channel along a axis. The other large one is simply linked up with the sinusoidal channel by sharing 8‐rings (4.8×2.6 Å) in the ac plane. The proton form of EU‐12 was found to show a considerably higher ethene selectivity in the low‐temperature dehydration of ethanol than H‐mordenite, the best catalyst for this reaction.     

A New Class of Organosuperbases,N‐Alkyl‐ and N‐Aryl‐1,3‐dialkyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene Amines: Synthesis,Structure, pKBH+ Measurements,and Properties

A series of stable organosuperbases, N‐alkyl‐ and N‐aryl‐1,3‐dialkyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene amines, were efficiently synthesized from N,N′‐dialkylthioureas and 3‐hydroxy‐2‐butanone and their basicities were measured in acetonitrile. The derivatives with tert‐alkyl groups on the imino nitrogen were found to be more basic than the tBu P₁ (pyrr) phosphazene base in acetonitrile. The origin of the high basicity of these compounds is discussed. In acetonitrile and in the gas phase, the basicity of the alkylimino derivatives depends on the size of the substituent at the imino group, which influences the degree of aromatization of the imidazole ring, as measured by ¹³C NMR chemical shifts or by the calculated ΔNICS(1) aromaticity parameters, as well as on solvation effects. If a wider range of imino‐substituents, including electron‐acceptor substituents, is treated in the analysis then the influence of aromatization is less predominant and the gas‐phase basicity becomes more dependent on the field‐inductive effect, polarizability, and resonance effects of the substituent.     

EU‐12: A Small‐Pore,High‐Silica Zeolite Containing Sinusoidal Eight‐Ring Channels

Zeolite EU‐12, the framework structure of which has remained unsolved during the past 30 years, is synthesized at a specific SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio using choline as an organic structure‐directing agent, with both Na⁺ and Rb⁺ ions present. Synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction and Rietveld analyses reveal that the EU‐12 structure has a two‐dimensional 8‐ring channel system. Among the two distinct 8‐ring (4.6×2.8 and 5.0×2.7 Å) channels along c axis, the smaller one interconnects with the sinusoidal 8‐ring (4.8×3.3 Å) channel along a axis. The other large one is simply linked up with the sinusoidal channel by sharing 8‐rings (4.8×2.6 Å) in the ac plane. The proton form of EU‐12 was found to show a considerably higher ethene selectivity in the low‐temperature dehydration of ethanol than H‐mordenite, the best catalyst for this reaction.     

Negative Charge as a Lens for Concentrating Antiaromaticity: Using a Pentagonal “Defect” and Helicene Strain for Cyclizations

Incorporation of a five‐membered ring into a helicene framework disrupts aromatic conjugation and provides a site for selective deprotonation. The deprotonation creates an anionic cyclopentadienyl unit, switches on conjugation, leads to a >200 nm red‐shift in the absorbance spectrum and injects a charge into a helical conjugated π‐system without injecting a spin. Structural consequences of deprotonation were revealed via analysis of a monoanionic helicene co‐crystallized with {K⁺(18‐crown‐6)(THF)} and {Cs⁺₂(18‐crown‐6)₃}. UV/Vis‐monitoring of these systems shows a time‐dependent formation of mono‐ and dianionic species, and the latter was isolated and crystallographically characterized. The ability of the twisted helicene frame to delocalize the negative charge was probed as a perturbation of aromaticity using NICS scans. Relief of strain, avoidance of antiaromaticity, and increase in charge delocalization assist in the additional dehydrogenative ring closures that yield a new planarized decacyclic dianion.     

Method and basis set dependence of the NICS indexes of aromaticity for benzene

The role of theory level in prediction of benzene magnetic indexes of aromaticity is analysed and compared with calculated nuclear magnetic shieldings of ³He used as NMR probe. Three closely related nucleus‐independent chemical shift (NICS) based indexes were calculated for benzene at SCF‐HF, MP2, and DFT levels of theory and the impact of basis set on these quantities was studied. The changes of benzene NICS(0), NICS(1), and NICS(1)zz parameters calculated using SCF‐HF, MP2 and several density functionals were within 1 to 3 ppm. Similar deviations between magnetic indexes of aromaticity were observed for values calculated with selected basis sets. Only very small effect of polar solvent on benzene aromaticity was predicted. The ³He nuclear magnetic isotropic shielding (σ) and its zz‐components (σ_zz) of helium atom approaching the centre of benzene ring from above produced similar curves versus benzene‐He distance to NICS parameters calculated for similarly moving Bq ghost atom. We also propose an experimental verification of NICS calculations by designing the ³He NMR measurement for benzene saturated with helium gas or in low temperature matrices.