Perylene π‐Bridges Equally Delocalize Anions and Cations: Proportioned Quinoidal and Aromatic Content

A complete experimental and theoretical study has been carried out for aromatic and quinoidal perylene‐based bridges substituted with bis(diarylamine) and bis(arylimine) groups respectively. The through‐bridge inter‐redox site electronic couplings (V_AB) have been calculated for their respective mixed‐valence radical cation and radical anion species. The unusual similitudes of the resulting V_AB values for the given structures reveal the intervention of molecular shapes with balanced semi‐quinoidal/semi‐aromatic structures in the charge delocalization. An identical molecular object equally responding to the injection of either positive or negative charges is rare in the field of organic π‐conjugated molecules. However, once probed herein for perylene‐based systems, it can be extrapolated to other π‐conjugated bridges. As a result, this work opens the door to the rational design of true ambipolar bulk and molecular conductors.     

Stable Cross‐Conjugated Tetrathiophene Diradical

A tetracyano quinoidal tetrathiophene, having a central bi(thieno[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,6‐dione) acceptor, has been studied. The recovered aromaticity of the thiophenes produces a diradical species with cross‐conjugation between the inter‐dicyano and inter‐dione acceptor paths. A diradical character of y₀=0.61 and a singlet–triplet gap of ?2.76 kcal mol^?1 were determined. Competition between the two cross‐conjugated paths enhances the disjointed character of the SOMOs and results in the confinement of the diradical to the molecular center, enabling a thermodynamic diradical stabilization featuring a half‐life of 262 hours. Cross‐conjugation effects have been also addressed in the anionic species (up to a radical trianion).     

Boron(III) Carbazosubphthalocyanines: Core‐Expanded Antiaromatic Boron(III) Subphthalocyanine Analogues

Condensation of 1,8‐diamino‐3,6‐dichlorocarbazole with a series of disubstituted 1,3‐diiminoisoindolines, followed by treatment with BF₃?OEt₂ led to the formation of the corresponding core‐expanded boron(III) subphthalocyanine analogues. These air‐stable π‐conjugated boron(III) carbazosubphthalocyanines possess two boron‐containing seven‐membered‐ring units and a 16 π‐electron skeleton, and represent the first examples of antiaromatic boron(III) subphthalocyanine analogues as supported by spectroscopic and theoretical studies. The molecular structure of one of these compounds was unambiguously determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. In contrast to typical boron(III) subphthalocyanines, which adopt a cone‐shaped structure, the π skeleton of this compound is almost planar.     

Dearomatization Approach Toward a Superbenzoquinone‐Based Diradicaloid,Tetraradicaloid, and Hexaradicaloid

Reported here is the step‐by‐step dearomatization of a highly aromatic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), the hexa‐peri‐hexabenzocoronene (also called as “superbenzene”), to give a series of superbenzoquinones containing two, four, and six ketone groups. Different from traditional PAH‐based quinones, these superbenzoquinones show open‐shell multiradical character by rearomatization in the open‐shell forms as experimentally validated by X‐ray crystallographic analysis, NMR and ESR spectroscopy, and FT‐IR measurements, as well as theoretically supported by restricted active space spin‐flip calculations. These compounds exhibit structure‐ and molecular‐symmetry‐dependent optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties.     

Indeno[1,2‐b]fluorene‐Based [2,2]Cyclophanes with 4n/4n and 4n/[4n+2] π Electrons: Syntheses,Structural Analyses,and Excitonic Coupling Properties

Indeno[1,2‐b]fluorene‐based [2,2]cyclophanes with 4n/4n and 4n/[4n+2] π‐electron systems were prepared, and their structures were identified by X‐ray crystallography. With short π–π distances around 3.0 Å, [2.2](5,11)indeno[1,2‐b]fluorenophane and its precursor [2.2](5,11)indeno[1,2‐b]fluorene‐6,12‐dionophane exhibit remarkable transannular interactions, leading to their unusual electrochemical and photophysical properties. With the aid of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, the transition from the monomeric excited state to the redshifted H‐type dimeric state was first observed, correlating to the calculated excitonic energy splitting and the steady‐state absorption spectra induced by charge‐transfer‐mediated superexchange interaction.     

Synthesis of the Unknown Indeno[1,2‐a]fluorene Regioisomer: Crystallographic Characterization of Its Dianion

Of the five possible indenofluorene regioisomers, examples of a fully conjugated indeno[1,2‐a ]fluorene scaffold have so far remained elusive. This work reports the preparation and characterization of 7,12‐dimesitylindeno[1,2‐a ]fluorene as a highly reactive species. Experimental and computational data support the notion of a molecule with pronounced diradical character that exists in a triplet ground state. As such, both NICS and ACID calculations suggest that the indeno[1,2‐a ]fluorene scaffold is weakly Baird aromatic. Reduction of the unstable red solid with Cs metal produces the dianion of the title compound, from which single crystals could be obtained and X‐ray data acquired, thus fully corroborating the proposed indeno[1,2‐a ]fluorene hydrocarbon core.