Criteria Of Aromaticity Research Articles

Captodative Versus Push‐Pull Aromatic Cyclopentadienyl Derivatives

ABSTRACTThe problem of whether and how the captodative aromatic systems with the donor and acceptor substituents at the same carbon atom of the C=C bond can be more stable than the π‐conjugated push‐pull counterparts with the two substituents in the vicinal position is analyzed for cyclopentadienyl derivatives possessing an aromatic cyclopentadienyl ring. The analysis of electronic, magnetic, and structural criteria of aromaticity showed that among typical organic donors, such as amines NR3, ethers R2O, guanidine (NH2)2C=NH, siloxane O(SiH3)2, silatrane, the captodative isomers [cyclopentadienylium]−C(X+) = CH2 can be more stable than their push‐pull isomeric counterparts [cyclopentadienylium]−—CH=CH—X+. The largest energy difference in favor of the former was found to be ca. 13 kcal/mol for X = NH=C(NH2)2.

Aromaticity of tropylium derivatives: When and why might captodative structures be preferred over the isomeric push‐pull structures?

AbstractAn intriguing question in the general problem of aromaticity is whether captodative aromatic systems with the donor and acceptor substituents at the same carbon of the CC bond can be more stable than the π‐conjugated push‐pull counterparts? The analysis of electronic, magnetic, and structural criteria of aromaticity showed that for conventional organic substituents XO, TfN, (NC)2C, (NO2)2C, Tf2C, the push‐pull tropylidene derivatives [tropylium]+CHCHX− are expectedly more stable than their captodative isomers [tropylium]+C(X−)CH2, with the lowest ΔE for the most strong acceptor Tf2C. A different behavior is observed for XMHlg3 (MB, Al; HlgF, Cl). They are not only structurally and magnetically most aromatic in both series but show the inverse stability of the push‐pull and captodative isomers, the latter being more stable by up to 10 kcal/mol (in gas).The difference between the MHlg3 groups and conventional organic groups is that in the latter the electron density is transferred to the π‐system of the substituent, while the former can accept it only to the σ*(CM) orbital. Thus, when the electron donor and acceptor effects are separated between the σ and π systems, captodative isomers can be more stable than their push‐pull isomers with more extended conjugation.

On the aromaticity of actinide compounds.

The chemistry of actinides has flourished since the late 2010s with the synthesis of new actinide complexes and clusters. On the theoretical side, a range of tools is available for the characterization of these heavy element-containing compounds, but discrepancies in the assessment of aromaticity using different tools have led to controversies. In this Perspective, we examine the origin of controversies relating to the aromaticity of metallic compounds, with a focus on actinides. The aromaticity of actinides is important, not because these molecules are numerous or have a special role in catalysis or reactivity, but because this topic pushes theories of aromaticity to their limits. Owing to its reference independence, the magnetic criterion of aromaticity has been the most popular choice for the characterization of the aromaticity of metallic compounds, including actinide compounds. Through examination of several case studies, we show why this criterion might be misleading for metallic species and explain how findings relating to actinide compounds could reshape theories of aromaticity, not just for actinides but perhaps also for well-known hydrocarbons.

Advances for Triangular and Sandwich-Shaped All-Metal Aromatics.

Much experimental work has been contributed to all-metal σ, π and δ-aromaticity among transition metals, semimetallics and other metals in the past two decades. Before our focused investigations on the properties of triangular and sandwich-shaped all-metal aromatics, A. I. Boldyrev presented general discussions on the concepts of all-metal σ-aromaticity and σ-antiaromaticity for metallo-clusters. Schleyer illustrated that Nucleus-Independent Chemical Shifts (NICS) were among the most authoritative criteria for aromaticity. Ugalde discussed the earlier developments of all-metal aromatic compounds with all possible shapes. Besides the theoretical predictions, many stable all-metal aromatic trinuclear clusters have been isolated as the metallic analogues of either the σ-aromatic molecule's [H3]+ ion or the π-aromatic molecule's [C3H3]+ ion. Different from Hoffman's opinion on all-metal aromaticity, triangular all-metal aromatics were found to hold great potential in applications in coordination chemistry, catalysis, and material science. Triangular all-metal aromatics, which were theoretically proved to conform to the Hückel (4n + 2) rule and possess the smallest aromatic ring, could also play roles as stable ligands during the formation of all-metal sandwiches. The triangular and sandwich-shaped all-metal aromatics have not yet been specifically summarized despite their diversity of existence, puissant developments and various interesting applications. These findings are different from the public opinion that all-metal aromatics would be limited to further applications due to their overstated difficulties in synthesis and uncertain stabilities. Our review will specifically focus on the summarization of theoretical predictions, feasible syntheses and isolations, and multiple applications of triangular and sandwich shaped all-metal aromatics. The appropriateness and necessities of this review will emphasize and disseminate their importance and applications forcefully and in a timely manner.

Core-electron contributions to the magnetic response of molecules with heavy elements and their significance in aromaticity assessments.

This study delves into the magnetic response of core electrons and their influence on the global magnetic response of planar and three-dimensional systems containing heavy elements, employing the removing valence electron (RVE) approximation. We also explore electronic aromaticity indices to understand the potential role of core electrons on electron delocalization in the absence of an external perturbation. The study reveals that core electrons significantly contribute to the overall magnetic response, especially to the magnetic shielding, affecting the interpretation of aromaticity. In contrast, the calculation of the electronic aromaticity indices suggests a negligible participation of the core electrons on electron delocalization. Despite their widespread use, the study emphasizes caution in labeling systems as strongly aromatic based solely on shielding function computations. It is noteworthy to emphasize the limitations associated with each aromaticity criterion; particularly in the context of magnetic shielding function calculations, the core-electron effect contamination is undeniable. Hence, the integration of various criteria becomes imperative for attaining a comprehensive understanding of magnetic responses within complex systems.

The Glidewell–Lloyd rule explains the local aromaticity and the relative stability of benzoborepin isomers

Relative stability and local aromaticity of benzoborepine isomers have been studied using magnetic/electronic/geometric aromaticity criteria. Results shows the most stable isomer is also the most aromatic in agreement with the Glidewell–Lloyd rule.

Ag(Sn9-Sn9)]5- and [(η4-Sn9)Ag(η1-Sn9)]7-, as aggregates of spherical aromatic building blocks. Persistence of aromaticity upon cluster gathering.

Formation of cluster-based materials requires a fundamental understanding of the resulting cluster aggregation processes. The Sn94- Zintl-ion structure can be viewed as a building block featuring a spherical aromatic species, leading to a cluster gathering upon oxidative coupling and/or mediated by transition metals. Here, we evaluate the spherical aromatic properties of [Sn9-Sn9]6-, [Ag(Sn9-Sn9)]5- and [(η4-Sn9)Ag(η1-Sn9)]7-, as aggregates of two Sn9 building units held together via oxidative coupling and mediated by a Ag(I) transition metal center. Our results from magnetic criteria of aromaticity show that the inherent spherical aromatic characteristics of the parent Sn94- cluster are persistent in the overall aggregate where the enabled shielding cones ascribed to each Sn9 unit are able to interplay between them, leading to an overlap of the shielding regions. Hence, the two approaches for bringing cluster units together are able to retain the inherent spherical aromatic features for each Sn9 unit, leading to a cluster-based dimer where the parent properties remain. Thus, further cluster-based materials can be envisaged from aggregation upon oxidative coupling and/or mediated by transition metals, where the constituent building blocks retain their initial features, useful to guide the formation of more complex cluster-based aggregates.

Synthesis of a new μ-chlorido-bridged tetra-nuclear copper(II) complex containing 2,3,5,6-tetra(2-pyridyl)pyrazine (tppz), chlorido and perchlorato ligands: non-planar central pyrazine rings

A μ-chlorido-bridged tetra-nuclear copper(II) complex containing 2,3,5,6-tetra(2-pyridyl)pyrazine (tppz), chlorido, and perchlorato ligands, starting from 2-aminomethyl pyridine (AMP) and Cu(OAc)2·H2O, was synthesized. The structure of the complex was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and electronic absorption spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The redox behavior of the complex was explored by cyclic voltammetry. The tetra-nuclear structure is formed by combining the di-nuclear copper complex of the two tppz ligands with a chloride bridge. The Cu(1) center adopts a distorted octahedral geometry, whereas the other three Cu centers adopt square pyramid geometries. Crystal data of the complex are monoclinic, P21/c, a = 13.602(4) Å, b = 13.438(4) Å, c = 29.412(8) Å, α = 90°, β = 95.258(8)°, γ = 90°, V = 5353(3) Å3, Z = 4. When the SCXRD structure was examined, it was determined that the two central pyrazine rings deviated from planarity, which is one of the four criteria for aromaticity. The aromaticity of the central pyrazine rings, whose planarity is disturbed, is decreased. Based on these bond lengths, the harmonic oscillator aromaticity model (HOMA) values of the non-planar central pyrazine rings were calculated as 0.964926 and 0.942886, respectively.

How Different are the Diamagnetic and Paramagnetic Contributions to Off-Nucleus Shielding in Aromatic and Antiaromatic Rings?

The spatial variations in the diamagnetic and paramagnetic contributions to the off-nucleus isotropic shielding, , and to the zz component of the off-nucleus shielding tensor, , around benzene (C6 H6 ) and cyclobutadiene (C4 H4 ) are investigated using complete-active-space self-consistent field wavefunctions. Despite the substantial differences between and around the aromatic C6 H6 and the antiaromatic C4 H4 , the diamagnetic and paramagnetic contributions to these quantities, and , and and , are found to behave similarly in the two molecules, shielding and deshielding, respectively, each ring and its surroundings. The different signs of the most popular aromaticity criterion, the nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS), in C6 H6 and C4 H4 are shown to follow from a change in the balance between the respective diamagnetic and paramagnetic contributions. Thus, the different NICS values for antiaromatic and antiaromatic molecules cannot be attributed to differences in the ease of access to excited states only; differences in the electron density, which determines the overall bonding picture, also play an important role.

Theoretical insight on model linear oligomers and their ring-fused analogs used in organic electronics

Theoretical systematic study compares chemical and electronic structure of six series of linear aromatic oligomers and their ring-fused analogues with various chain length of 5- and 6-membered rings. Chemical structure was described by structural HOMED and one-electron density topology EL aromaticity descriptors. The calculations demonstrated that the diradical electronic ground-state system is energetically preferred for larger six-membered acenes where the electronic structure can be separated into two linear polyene chains. The influence of intermolecular interaction on the aromaticity perturbation in crystals was also analyzed for 20 available X-ray structures. The aromaticity of central ring is lowered for longer molecules in solids. Next, the primary effect of aromatic chain elongation on frontier orbital energies and vertical excitation energies was predicted. The calculated data were correlated with experimental ones and polymer limits on investigated properties were estimated. Quantitative criteria of aromaticity were explored for various linear organic molecules with increasing chain lengths to extrapolate electronic properties at the polymer limit. • Systematic DFT study of linear oligomers and ring-fused analogues. • The aromaticity indices are evaluated. • The structural conditions for diradical system are determined. • Electrochemical band gaps and optical transitions are calculated. • Polymer limits on investigated properties are estimated.

Evaluation of Slight Changes in Aromaticity through Electronic and Density Functional Reactivity Theory-Based Descriptors.

Aromaticity is a useful tool to rationalize the structure, stability, and reactivity in several compounds. Although aromaticity is not directly an observable, it is well accepted that electronic delocalization around the molecular ring is a key stabilizing feature of aromatic compounds. This contribution presents a systematic evaluation of the capability of delocalization and reactivity criteria to describe aromaticity in a set of fluorinated benzenes. The aromaticity indices are compared with quantities obtained from the magnetic criteria of aromaticity, i.e., the strength of the ring current induced by an external magnetic field and the popular NICSzz(1) index. In this evaluation, the indices based on delocalization criteria used are aromatic fluctuation index (FLU), para-delocalization index (PDI), PDIπ, and the multicenter delocalization index (MCI). In addition, indices based on the bifurcation values of scalar functions are derived from electron density such as electron localization function (the π contribution, ELFπ) and the π contribution of the localized orbital locator (LOLπ). Furthermore, reactivity indices based on chemical reactivity and the information-theoretic (reactivity) approach are para-linear response (PLR), Shannon entropy, Fisher information, and Ghosh–Berkowitz–Parr (GBP) entropy. The results obtained show that the delocalization-based indicators present a high sensitivity to slight changes in aromaticity and that the reactivity criterion can be considered as a complementary tool for the study of this phenomenon, even when these changes are minimal. These results encourage the use of multiple indicators for a complete understanding of aromaticity in various chemical compounds.

Modern Criteria of Aromaticity for Organometallic Compounds

Aromaticity as one of the most important fundamental concepts in chemistry is an effect of cyclic electron delocalization, which is very multifaceted and difficult to measure. To define the aromaticity degree as a quantitative characteristic, the aromaticity indices are used that can be divided into energetic, structural, electronic, magnetic, and optical. The aromaticity effect went far beyond the class of π-conjugated hydrocarbons a long time ago; therefore, this review critically examines the most important and modern criteria of aromaticity which are universal in the system choice and have been applied to organometallic compounds.

Activation of Small Molecules and Hydrogenation of CO2 Catalyzed by Frustrated Lewis Pairs

The chemistry of frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) is widely explored in the activation of small molecules, the hydrogenation of CO2, and unsaturated organic species. A survey of several experimental works on the activation of small molecules by FLPs and the related mechanistic insights into their reactivity from electronic structure theory calculation are provided in the present review, along with the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2. The mechanistic insight into H2 activation is thoroughly discussed, which may provide a guideline to design more efficient FLP for H2 activation. FLPs can activate other small molecules like, CO, NO, CO2, SO2, N2O, alkenes, alkynes, etc. by cooperative action of the Lewis centers of FLPs, as revealed by several computational analyses. The activation barrier of H2 and other small molecules by the FLP can be decreased by utilizing the aromaticity criterion in the FLP as demonstrated by the nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) analysis. The term boron-ligand cooperation (BLC), which is analogous to the metal-ligand cooperation (MLC), is invoked to describe a distinct class of reactivity of some specific FLPs towards H2 activation.

Are Metallacyclopentadienes Always Non-Aromatic?

Even though metallacyclopentadienes (MCPs) are among the most common metallacycles, their electron delocalization (aromaticity) has received far less attention than other metallacycles, such as metallabenzenes. We systematically studied the aromaticity of MCPs with energetic (isomerization stabilization energy), density (delocalization index) and magnetic (current density) aromaticity indices. The indices agree that metallacyclopentadienes are, in general, weakly aromatic at most. The 18e− complexes showed the expected weak aromaticity, and only the d8 molecules are somewhat anti-aromatic. However, the theoretical account of the aromaticity of the 16e− MCPs is more convoluted. We find that the aromatic criteria for a 16e−d4 ruthenacyclopentadiene disagree. The lack of agreement shows that significant electron delocalization is not always related to great stability or to strong diatropic currents.

Molecular magnetisabilities computed via finite fields: assessing alternatives to MP2 and revisiting magnetic exaltations in aromatic and antiaromatic species

Magnetic properties of molecules such as magnetisabilities represent second-order derivatives of the energy with respect to external perturbations. To avoid the need for analytic second derivatives and thereby permit evaluation of the performance of methods where they are not available, a new implementation of quantum chemistry calculations in finite applied magnetic fields is reported. This implementation is employed for a collection of small molecules with the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set to assess orbital optimised (OO) MP2 and a recently proposed regularised variant of OOMP2, called κ-OOMP2. κ-OOMP2 performs significantly better than conventional second-order Møller–Plesset (MP2) theory, by reducing MP2's exaggeration of electron correlation effects. As a chemical application, we revisit an old aromaticity criterion called magnetisability exaltation. In lieu of empirical tables or increment systems to generate references, we instead use straight chain molecules with the same formal bond structure as the target cyclic planar conjugated molecules. This procedure is found to be useful for qualitative analysis, yielding exaltations that are typically negative for aromatic species and positive for antiaromatic molecules. One interesting species, , shows a positive exaltation despite having aromatic characteristics.

Pyrrole and Pyridine in the Water Environment-Effect of Discrete and Continuum Solvation Models.

Properties of pyrrole and pyridine molecules upon different hydrations were investigated through density functional theory. Complexes of studied molecules with a cluster of 50 water molecules were considered, and the polarizable continuum model of solvation (PCM) was also taken into account. For comparative purposes, all mentioned calculations were repeated for single pyrrole and pyridine molecules and their complexes with one water molecule. Aromaticities of solvated pyrrole and pyridine rings were studied using several geometric- and electronic-based aromaticity criteria. Special attention was paid to studying the properties of formed hydrogen bonds between pyrrole or pyridine and either a single water molecule or several water molecules of the cluster. Overall, a comprehensive description of two very important heterocyclic compounds, that is, pyrrole and pyridine, in both discrete and continuum water solutions, is extensively presented.

Nucleus-Independent Chemical Shift (NICS) as a Criterion for the Design of New Antifungal Benzofuranones.

The assertion made by Wu et al. that aromaticity may have considerable implications for molecular design motivated us to use nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) as an aromaticity criterion to evaluate the antifungal activity of two series of indol-4-ones. A linear regression analysis of NICS and antifungal activity showed that both tested variables were significantly related (p < 0.05); when aromaticity increased, the antifungal activity decreased for series I and increased for series II. To verify the validity of the obtained equations, a new set of 44 benzofuran-4-ones was designed by replacing the nitrogen atom of the five-membered ring with oxygen in indol-4-ones. The NICS(0) and NICS(1) of benzofuran-4-ones were calculated and used to predict their biological activities using the previous equations. A set of 10 benzofuran-4-ones was synthesized and tested in eight human pathogenic fungi, showing the validity of the equations. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in yeasts was 31.25 µg·mL–1 for Candida glabrata, Candida krusei and Candida guilliermondii with compounds 15-32, 15-15 and 15-1. The MIC for filamentous fungi was 1.95 µg·mL–1 for Aspergillus niger for compounds 15-1, 15-33 and 15-34. The results obtained support the use of NICS in the molecular design of compounds with antifungal activity.

Four electron aromaticity in η3-Allyltetrylenes Ar-E-η3-Allyl E= Si, Ge, Sn, Pb

The electronic structure and the conjugation in allyltetrylenes Ar-E-η3-C3H4 (E= Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; Ar = С6H3Trip2 (1), Ph (1′)), which exhibit the unique symmetric η3-coordination among the allyl compounds of the main groups, were studied by the DFT based methods. The QTAIM molecular graph exhibits two metal-allyl bond paths, which form 4-membered metallacycles. The advance aromaticity criteria NICS-scan, electron density of delocalized bonds (EDDB) and gauge-including magnetically induced currents (GIMIC) were firstly applied to the 1. The method results demonstrate a strong cyclic delocalization for organometallics. According to the NICS and GIMIC values, the aromaticity degree diminishes in the series Si ~ Ge > Sn > Pb. According to the EDDB results, it increases in the series Si < Ge < Sn < Pb from 38 % to 65%. The CMO and NODB population analyses reveal the unprecedented type of aromaticity, namely the four electron in-plane Möbius type.

Aromaticity of 5- and 7-Membered Metallacyclocumulenes of Group 4

Using the recent aromatic criteria, the conjugation and aromatic properties of group 4 metallacyclocumulenes Cp2M-η4–(R)C═C═C═C–R (1) and Cp2M-η3(R–C═C═C═C(R)–R(C) ═CR) (2) (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) were st...

Thiosquaramide-Based Supramolecular Polymers: Aromaticity Gain in a Switched Mode of Self-Assembly.

Despite a growing understanding of factors that drive monomer self-assembly to form supramolecular polymers, the effects of aromaticity gain have been largely ignored. Herein, we document the aromaticity gain in two different self-assembly modes of squaramide-based bolaamphiphiles. Importantly, O → S substitution in squaramide synthons resulted in supramolecular polymers with increased fiber flexibility and lower degrees of polymerization. Computations and spectroscopic experiments suggest that the oxo- and thiosquaramide bolaamphiphiles self-assemble into “head-to-tail” versus “stacked” arrangements, respectively. Computed energetic and magnetic criteria of aromaticity reveal that both modes of self-assembly increase the aromatic character of the squaramide synthons, giving rise to stronger intermolecular interactions in the resultant supramolecular polymer structures. These examples suggest that both hydrogen-bonding and stacking interactions can result in increased aromaticity upon self-assembly, highlighting its relevance in monomer design.