Synthesis and Identification of a Trimethylenemethane Derivative π-Extended with Three Pyridinyl Radicals

Abstract

A trimethylenemethane (TMM) derivative 1(2*), in which the parent TMM is pi-extended by the symmetric insertion of three pyridine rings into the C-C bonds of TMM, has been synthesized by the alkali metal reduction of the isolated corresponding dication. Although the frozen-glass X-band cw-ESR spectrum of 1(2*) gave unresolved fine structures due to the small ZFS parameters, pulsed ESR two-dimensional electron spin transient nutation (2D-ESTN) spectroscopy unambiguously can afford to identify diradical 1(2*) as a triplet species.