| Abstract: | The radical anion and the radical cation of azuleno1,2,3-cd]phenalene (III) have been investigated by ESR. spectroscopy, along with the radical anion of 2-phenylazulene (IV). Also studied has been the neutral radical obtained by one-electron reduction of cycloheptacd]phenalenium-cation (VI⊕). Assignment of the proton coupling constants for the radical ions III. ·?, III ·⊕ and IV·⊕, and the radical VI · is supported by comparison with the ESR. spectra of specifically deuteriated derivatives III-d5 ·?, III-d5 ·⊕, IV-d2 ·? and VI-d1′. The experimental results are in full accord with qualitative topological arguments and predictions of HMO models. Whereas the radical anion III ·? exhibits α-spin distribution similar to that of IV ·?the corresponding radical cation III ·⊕ and the neutral radical VI · are related in this respect to phenalenyl (V·). It is noteworthy that oxidation of III by conc. H2SO4 yields a paramagnetic species (IIIa ·⊕) which has a similar – but not an identical – structure as the radical cation III ·⊕ produced from III with AlCl3 in CH3NO2. |
