Polycyclic Hydrocarbons from [4n]Annulenes: Correlation versus Hybridization Forces in the Formation of Diradicaloids

Abstract

AbstractThe conceptual connections between [4n] Hückel antiaromaticity, disjoint orbitals, correlation energy, pro‐aromaticity and diradical character for a variety of extended π‐conjugated systems, including some salient recent examples of nanographenes and polycyclic aromatic radicals, are provided based on their [4n]annulene peripheries. The realization of such structure–property relationships has led to a beneficial pedagogic exercise establishing design guidelines for diradicaloids. The antiaromatic fingerprint of the [4n]annulene peripheries upon orbital interactions due to internal covalent connectors gives insights into the diradicaloid property of a diversity of π‐conjugated molecules that have fascinated chemists recently.