Open-shell Singlet Ground State Research Articles

Frustrated Radical Pairs: From Fleeting Intermediates to Isolable Species.

We present the design and comprehensive investigation of stable para-substituted triarylamine-2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) radical ion pairs (RIPs) generated via single-electron transfer (SET). We quantified the degree of SET in both solution and solid phases, utilising a suite of spectroscopic techniques including IR, EPR, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD). Our findings reveal that the extent of SET is significantly influenced by the nature of the substituents (MeO > tBu > Br) and the polarity of the solvent (MeCN > DCM > toluene). The radical ion pair [(pMeOPh)3N]•+[DDQ]•- was unambiguously identified using EPR and UV-vis spectroscopy, and its structure was confirmed by SC-XRD. Detailed analysis indicates an open-shell singlet ground state with a thermally accessible triplet state, as corroborated by EPR, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and DFT calculations. This study offers crucial insights into the mechanistic pathways of RIP formation and tuning both in solution and solid states, laying the groundwork for future exploration of their reactivity and potential applications.

Rational Design of Crystalline and Enantiomerically Pure Helicenes with Open-Shell Singlet Ground States.

Helicene diradical derivatives have attracted widespread attentions because of their unique magnetic and chiroptoelectronic properties, however, crystalline and enantiomerically pure forms of helicene diradicals are extremely rare. Herein, we describe the rational design and synthesis of o-quinone functionalized helicene diradicals with crystalline enantiomerical purity. Diradical dianion salt Rac-3K and its enantiomers P/M-3K were obtained by reduction of corresponding precursors Rac-3 and P/M-3 with two equivalent potassium graphite in THF in the presence of (di)benzo-18-crown-6. Neutral dioxoborocyclic helicene diradicals (Rac-3B and P/M-3B) were produced by reactions of Rac-3 or P/M-3 with chlorobis(perfluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)2Cl. Crystal structures of compounds Rac-3K, Rac-3B and P/M-3K were obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Their open-shell singlet state ground states were confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements and theoretical calculations. Their chiroptical properties were investigated by the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy. This work provides the first examples of enantiopure helicene diradical dianions and boron-containing helicene diradicals.

Dicyclopenta[4,3,2,1-cde:4',3',2',1'-pqr]-peri-tetracene: Synthesis and An Example of Annulene-Within-An-Annulene Aromaticity in Different Redox States.

We report a robust strategy for tuning the electronic structure and chemical stability of π-conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons (PHs). By fusing two cyclopentadienyl rings in the peri-tetracene bay regions, we introduce antiaromatic character into the π-system, leading to unique photophysical and electronic properties. A stable mesityl-substituted dicyclopenta-peri-tetracene derivative was synthesized through stepwise formylation/intramolecular cyclization at the bay regions of the dihydro peri-tetracene precursor, followed by oxidative dehydrogenation. This compound features an open-shell singlet diradical ground state, global antiaromaticity, exceptional stability under ambient conditions, and amphoteric redox behavior with a small energy gap. Its dication also possesses an open-shell singlet ground state, and its structure was identified by X-ray crystallographic analysis, revealing a unique [14]annulene-within-[22]annulene global aromatic structure. In contrast, the dianion exhibits a closed-shell singlet ground state. This work provides valuable insights for designing and synthesizing novel open-shell PHs with tunable electronic structures and remarkable stability.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Derived Carbon Disulfide Radical Ligands for Palladium Diradicals.

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are recognized for their ability to stabilize various main group radicals; however, NHC-derived, sulfur-based radicals remain rare. In this study, we successfully synthesized and characterized a series of palladium diradical complexes that featured new sulfur-based radical ligands from NHC-carbon disulfide adducts. Spectroscopic and computational characterizations of the palladium complexes confirmed the open-shell singlet ground state, which resulted from the antiferromagnetic coupling of two unpaired electrons on each ligand. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry was used to experimentally confirm the presence of these unpaired electrons. Moreover, the redox behavior of the complexes was localized on the ligand center, confirming the redox activity of the ligands. The discovery of this sulfur-based, redox-active radical ligand underscores the versatility and significance of NHC-derived radicals, thereby expanding the repertoire of radical ligands and opening new avenues for advanced material and catalytic systems.

On-Surface Synthesis of Triaza[5]triangulene through Cyclodehydrogenation and its Magnetism.

Triangulenes as neutral radicals are becoming promising candidates for future applications such as spintronics and quantum technologies. To extend the potential of the advanced materials, it is of importance to control their electronic and magnetic properties by multiple graphitic nitrogen doping. Here, we synthesize triaza[5]triangulene on Au(111) by cyclodehydrogenation, and its derivatives by cleaving C-N bonds. Bond-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy provided detailed structural information and evidence for open-shell singlet ground state. The antiferromagnetic arrangement of the spins in positively doped triaza[5]triangulene was further confirmed by density function theory calculations. The key aspect of triangulenes with multiple graphitic nitrogen is the extra pz electrons composing the π orbitals, favoring charge transfer to the substrate and changing their low-energy excitations. Our findings pave the way for the exploration of exotic low-dimensional quantum phases of matter in heteroatom doped organic systems.

Perylene with Split-Azulene Embedding.

Splitting the five and seven-membered rings of azulene and embedding them separately into a conjugated backbone provides azulene-like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are of great interest in quantum and material chemistry. However, the synthetic accessibility poses a significant challenge. In this study, we present the synthesis of a novel azulene-like PAH, Pery-57, which can be viewed as the integration of a perylene framework into the split azulene. The compact structure of Pery-57 displays several intriguing characteristics, including NIR II absorption at 1200 nm, a substantial dipole moment of 3.5 D, and head-to-tail alternating columnar packing. Furthermore, Pery-57 exhibits remarkable redox properties. The cationic radical Pery-57⋅+ readily captures a hydrogen atom. Variable-temperature NMR (VT NMR ) and variable-temperature EPR (VT-EPR) studies reveal that the dianion Pery-572- possesses an open-shell singlet ground state and demonstrates significant global anti-aromaticity. The dication Pery-572+ is also predicted to exhibit diradical character. Despite bearing three bulky substituents, Pery-57 displays p-type transport characteristics with a mobility of 0.03 cm2 V-1 s-1, attributed to its unique azulene-like structure. Overall, this work directs interest in azulene-like PAHs, a unique member of nonalternant PAHs showcasing exceptional properties and applications.

Radical Cations of Bilayer Nanographenes.

Chemical redox reactions of bilayer nanographene complexes, (C96H24Ar6)2 (Ar = 2,6-dimethylphenyl) (12) and (C42H12R6)2 (R = tBu) (22), were investigated. Upon two-electron oxidation reactions, 12 and 22 were transformed to radical cations 122•+ and 222•+, respectively. SQUID and EPR measurements on 122•+ and 222•+ indicate that they possess an open-shell singlet ground state with antiferromagnetic interactions between two layers. The shortest separation distance between bilayers in 222•+ (3.30 Å) is shorter than that in 22 (3.44 Å) and 22•+ (3.40 Å), illustrating stronger interaction upon loss of electrons.

Helical polycyclic hydrocarbons with open-shell singlet ground states and ambipolar redox behaviors.

Organic π-conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons (PHs) with an open-shell diradical character are attracting increasing interest due to their promising applications in organic electronics and spintronics. However, most of the open-shell PHs synthesized thus far are based on planar π-conjugated molecules. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of two new quinodimethane-embedded expanded helicenes H1 and H2. The helical structures of both molecules were revealed using X-ray crystallographic analysis. It was elucidated in detailed experimental and theoretical studies that they possess an open-shell singlet biradical structure in the ground state and show a small energy gap and amphoteric redox behavior. Both compounds can also be easily oxidized or reduced into relatively stable charged species. The dianions of H1 and H2 exhibit similar electronic structures to the respective isoelectronic structures of their all-benzenoid helical analogues according to NMR measurements and theoretical calculations. Moreover, the structures of the dication and dianion of H2 were identified by X-ray crystallographic analysis, revealing the effect of electron transfer on their backbones and aromaticity. This study thus opens up new avenues for both helical polycyclic π-systems and diradicaloids.

Multiconfigurational actinide nitrides assisted by double Möbius aromaticity.

Understanding the bonding nature between actinides and main-group elements remains a key challenge in actinide chemistry due to the involvement of f orbitals. Herein, we propose a unique "aromaticity-assisted multiconfiguration" (AAM) model to elucidate the bonding nature in actinide nitrides (An2N2, An = Ac, Th, Pa, U). Each planar four-membered An2N2 with equivalent An-N bonds possesses four delocalized π electrons and four delocalized σ electrons, forming a new family of double Möbius aromaticity that contributes to the molecular stability. The unprecedented aromaticity further supports actinide nitrides to exhibit multiconfigurational characters, where the unpaired electrons (2, 4 or 6 in naked Th2N2, Pa2N2 or U2N2, respectively) either are spin-free and localized on metal centres or form metal-ligand bonds. High-level multiconfigurational computations confirm an open-shell singlet ground state for actinide nitrides, with small energy gaps to high spin states. This is consistent with the antiferromagnetic nature observed experimentally in uranium nitrides. The novel AAM bonding model can be authenticated in both experimentally identified compounds containing a U2N2 motif and other theoretically modelled An2N2 clusters and is thus expected to be a general chemical bonding pattern between actinides and main-group elements.

Prediction of the ground state for indenofluorene-type systems with Clar's π-sextet model.

This study introduces the Ground State Stability (GSS) rule that allows predicting the nature of the ground state of indenofluorene (IF)-type systems from the simple counting of the Clar's π-sextets in the closed- and open-shell configurations. The IF-type system exhibits a triplet ground state when acquiring double or more the number of Clar's π-sextets in the open-shell form relative to the closed-shell form; otherwise, it assumes an open-shell singlet ground state. Performed state-of-the-art DFT calculations and analysis of aromaticity for the systems of interest validate the effectiveness of the proposed rule. We demonstrate that aromaticity plays the most crucial role in determining the ground electronic state for such polycyclic hydrocarbons. The simplicity of the GSS rule makes it a robust strategy for identifying promising systems in the development of indenofluorene-type materials.

Fused Indacene Dimers.

Polycyclic hydrocarbons consisting of two or more directly fused antiaromatic subunits are rare due to their high reactivity. However, it is important to understand how the interactions between the antiaromatic subunits influence the electronic properties of the fused structure. Herein, we present the synthesis of two fused indacene dimer isomers: s-indaceno[2,1-a]-s-indacene (s-ID) and as-indaceno[3,2-b]-as-indacene (as-ID), containing two fused antiaromatic s-indacene or as-indacene units, respectively. Their structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. 1 H NMR/ESR measurements and DFT calculations revealed that both s-ID and as-ID have an open-shell singlet ground state. However, while localized antiaromaticity was observed in s-ID, as-ID showed weak global aromaticity. Moreover, as-ID exhibited a larger diradical character and a smaller singlet-triplet gap than s-ID. All the differences can be attributed to their distinct quinoidal substructures.

Bisazapentalene Dication: Global Aromaticity and Open-Shell Singlet Ground State

Antiaromatic moieties fused in polycyclic π-conjugated molecules usually exhibit strong localized antiaromaticiy. Herein, we reported the synthesis and properties of a bisazapentalene dication (BAP2+) obtained from in situ two-electron oxidation of neutral species 8. Noteworthily, it possesses global aromaticity and an open-shell singlet ground state. This study underlines the importance of heteroatoms in determining the delocalization of π-electrons and the aromaticity of molecules in their oxidized states.

The Fully Oxidized State of the Glutamate Coordinated O2-Tolerant [NiFe]-Hydrogenase Shows a Ni(III)/Fe(III) Open-Shell Singlet Ground State.

The oxygen tolerance of the [NiFe]-hydrogenase from H. thermoluteolus was recently assigned to originate from an unusual coordination sphere of the active site nickel atom (Shomura et al. Science 2017, 357, 928-932, 10.1126/science.aan4497). In the oxidized state, a terminal cysteine residue is displaced by a bidentate coordinating nearby Glu32 and thus moves to occupy a third μ-cysteine bridging position. Spectral features of the oxidized state were assigned to originate from a closed-shell Ni(IV)/Fe(II) state (Kulka-Peschke et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 17022-17032, 10.1021/jacs.2c06400). Such a high-valent nickel oxidation state is unprecedented in biological systems. The spectral properties and the coordination sphere of that [NiFe]-hydrogenase can, however, also be rationalized by an energetically lower broken-symmetry Ni(III)/Fe(III) state of the active site which was not considered. In this open-shell singlet, the ligand-mediated antiferromagnetic spin-coupling leads to an overall S = 0 spin state with evenly distributed spin densities over the metal atoms. Experiments are suggested that may clarify the final assignment of redox states.

Open-Shell Donors and Closed-Shell Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells

The active materials of organic solar cells are recognized to show a singlet ground state, and their photo-excited states have been widely investigated in previous work. Herein, we disclose the inherent open-shell singlet ground state of all the donors with obvious electron spin resonance signals. In contrast, the well-known highly efficient non-fullerene acceptors are almost electron spin resonance-silent. These results are carefully studied and confirmed via the combination of variable-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, superconducting quantum interference device, and theoretical calculation. More interestingly, the ground state can be readily tunable between open-shell and closed-shell by changing the quinoidal character of their conjugated backbone. This work provides a new perspective to understand the intrinsic molecular structure of active materials in organic solar cells.

M-Quinodimethane-based fused-ring triplet hydrocarbons

Abstract Hydrocarbons with open-shell singlet and triplet ground states have long been studied. In contrast to studies of Kekulé hydrocarbons with an open-shell singlet ground state, studies of non-Kekulé and Kekulé hydrocarbons with a triplet ground state are quite limited, and no hydrocarbon with a triplet ground state has been isolated as single crystals. In this review, our work on the synthesis, isolation, and properties of m-quinodimethane-based non-Kekulé polycyclic hydrocarbon, a kinetically stabilized triangulene derivative, and Kekulé polycyclic hydrocarbon, a kinetically stabilized bisdibenzo[3,4:5,6]cyclohepta[1,2-a:2,1-d]benzene derivative, are described. Triplet ground states of these hydrocarbons were experimentally confirmed by ESR and magnetic measurements, and these are the first example of polycyclic hydrocarbons with a triplet ground state whose structures were characterized by X-ray crystal structural analysis. These studies will enable the development of various polycyclic hydrocarbon multi-radicals with high spin multiplicity.

A Highly Stable Organic Luminescent Diradical.

It is very challenging to obtain stable room-temperature luminescent open-shell singlet diradicals. Herein we report the first stable Müller's hydrocarbon TTM-PhTTM with luminescent properties. Variable-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements and theoretical calculations show that TTM-PhTTM has an open-shell singlet ground state with a diradical character of 90 %. Because of a small singlet-triplet energy gap, the open-shell singlet ground state can be thermally excited to a triplet state. TTM-PhTTM shows room-temperature deep-red emission in various solutions. Unusually high stability of TTM-PhTTM was also observed owing to effective steric hindrance and spin delocalization. Our results are beneficial to the rational design and discovery of more stable luminescent diradical materials.

Aromaticity in Fully π-Conjugated Open-Cage Molecules.

Although aromaticity in 2D π-conjugated monocyclic and polycyclic molecules has been intensively studied, aromaticity in 3D fully π-conjugated molecular cages remains largely unexplored mainly due to the synthetic challenges. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of a π-conjugated molecular cage (1) containing four dimethylmethylene-bridged triphenylamine (DTPA) units via platinum-mediated assembly of four molecules of a pinacol borate trisubstituted DTPA derivative, followed by reductive elimination. 1 has an open-cage structure, consisting of two isomeric trimers in trans- and cis-configurations, and an additional macrocycle across four DTPA units. Accordingly, the trans- (2) and cis- (3) macrocyclic trimers were also synthesized for comparison. 1-3 can be facilely oxidized into their respective cations in which electrons are effectively delocalized at two or three dimensions. The detailed experimental measurements and theoretical calculations reveal that (1) the neutral cage 1 shows localized aromaticity in individual benzene rings; (2) the dication 12+·2SbF6- displays bicyclic (anti)aromaticity with one macrocycle being aromatic (38π) and another macrocycle being antiaromatic (28π); on the other hand, the dications of the model compounds 2 and 3 are globally antiaromatic and nonaromatic, respectively; (3) the tetracation 14+·4SbF6- exhibits dominant 2D Hückel antiaromaticity in one of the macrocycles (36π). In addition, 12+·2SbF6-, 14+·4SbF6-, and 22+·2SbF6- possess open-shell singlet ground state with significant diradical character, while 32+·2SbF6- adopts a triplet ground state to release strain.

Design of an open-shell nitrogen-centered diradicaloid with tunable stimuli-responsive electronic properties

Organic diradicaloids usually display an open-shell singlet ground state with significant singlet diradical character (y0) which endow them with intriguing physiochemical properties and wide applications. In this study, we present the design of an open-shell nitrogen-centered diradicaloid which can reversibly respond to multiple stimuli and display the tunable diradical character and chemo-physical properties. 1a was successfully synthesized through a simple and high-yielding two-step synthetic strategy. Both experimental and calculated results indicated that 1a displayed an open-shell singlet ground state with small singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔES−T = −2.311 kcal mol−1) and a modest diradical character (y0 = 0.60). Interestingly, 1a was demonstrated to undergo reversible Lewis acid-base reaction to form acid-base adducts, which was proven to effectively tune the ground-state electronic structures of 1a as well as its diradical character and spin density distributions. Based on this, we succeeded in devising a photoresponsive system based on 1a and a commercially available photoacid merocyanine (MEH). We believe that our studies including the molecular design methodology and the stimuli-responsive organic diradicaloid system will open up a new way to develop organic diradicaloids with tunable properties and even intelligent-responsive diradicaloid-based materials.

The Lewis Acid Induced Formation of a Stable Diradical with an Intramolecular Ion Pairing State.

A stable cross-conjugated diradical was prepared by the reaction of a donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) molecule with B(C6F5)3. Its geometry and electronic structure were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, EPR spectroscopy, SQUID measurement, UV/vis spectroscopy, and DFT calculation. It has an open-shell singlet ground state with a thermally excited triplet state. It can be viewed as an intramolecular radical ion pair, and the formation mechanism is proposed as an intramolecular single electron transfer that occurs from the bis(triarylamine) donor fragment to the central dioxophenyl acceptor moiety, induced by the acidic boron atom. This work provides a Lewis acid induced approach to the formation of neutral and cross-conjugated diradicals.

Generation and Characterization of the Charge-Transferred Diradical Complex CaCO2 with an Open-Shell Singlet Ground State

The CaCO2 complex is generated via the reaction of excited-state calcium atom with carbon dioxide in a solid neon matrix. Infrared absorption spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations reveal that the complex has a planar four-membered ring structure with a strongly bent CO2 ligand side-on coordinated to the calcium center in an η2-O, O manner. The complex has an open-shell singlet ground state, which can be described as the bonding interactions between a Ca+ (4s1) cation in the doublet ground state and a doublet ground state CO2- anion. The analysis of the bonding situation suggests that the Ca-O2C bonds have a large (75%) electrostatic character. The covalent (orbital) interactions come from the coupling of the unpaired electrons of Ca+ and CO2- giving rise to electron-sharing bonding and a stronger contribution from dative bonding (Ca+)←(CO2-). The atomic orbitals (AOs) of Ca+ that are engaged in the covalent bonds are the 4s AO for the electron-sharing bonds and the 3d AOs for the dative bonds. This is further evidence for the assignment of the heavier alkaline-earth atoms as transition metals rather than main-group elements.