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Abstract The literature has seen a large increase in the number of new carbon‐based organic diradicals/diradicaloids in recent years. While a plethora of new and exciting structures have been created, there seemingly is a gap in knowledge of what fundamental electronic parameters are in play and thus how to rationally manipulate said parameters to “fine tune” the resultant diradical properties. Since 2014, the Haley group has been exploring methods to systematically alter the diradical character and the singlet‐triplet energy gap in said class of molecules. Our entrance into organic diradicals began with the π‐expansion of the benzene core of indeno[1,2‐b]fluorene up to the anthracene core of diindenoanthracene (DIAn). DIAn possessed moderate diradical character (y =0.62) with a surprising level of stability (more than 2 months in solution). From this molecular blueprint for producing stable diradicals, the Haley lab has investigated how to fine tune diradical properties via structural changes in two key positions: (a) the length of the acene core and (b) thoughtful exchange of the outer arenes. With this strategy at our disposal, we can make large scale changes to the diradical character index and singlet‐triplet energy gap through changing the core length, and these properties can be further fine‐tuned in a series of closely related diradicals by careful exchange of the outer arenes utilizing the straightforward methods described in this mini‐review.
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A Tale of Two Isomers: Enhanced Antiaromaticity/Diradical Character versus Deleterious Ring‐Opening of Benzofuran‐fused s ‐Indacenes and Dicyclopenta[ b , g ]naphthalenes
Abstract We examine the effects of fusing two benzofurans tos‐indacene (indacenodibenzofurans, IDBFs) and dicyclopenta[b,g]naphthalene (indenoindenodibenzofurans, IIDBFs) to control the strong antiaromaticity and diradical character of these core units. Synthesis via 3‐functionalized benzofuran yieldssyn‐IDBF andsyn‐IIDBF.syn‐IDBF possesses a high degree of paratropicity, exceeding that of the parent hydrocarbon, which in turn results in strong diradical character forsyn‐IIDBF. In the case of theanti‐isomers, synthesized via 2‐substituted benzofurans, these effects are decreased; however, both derivatives undergo an unexpected ring‐opening reaction during the final dearomatization step. All the results are compared to the benzothiophene‐fused analogues and show that the increased electronegativity of oxygen in thesyn‐fused derivatives leads to enhancement of the antiaromatic core causing greater paratropicity. Forsyn‐IIDBF increased diradical character results from rearomati‐zation of the core naphthalene unit in order to relieve this paratropicity.
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- PAR ID:
- 10307586
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Volume:
- 60
- Issue:
- 41
- ISSN:
- 1433-7851
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 22385-22392
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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