Double-σ-Bonded Close-Shell Dimers and Peroxy-Linked Open-Shell Dimer Derived from a C3 Symmetric Trioxophenalenyl Neutral Diradical.

A novel neutral diradical of π-extended phenalenyl derivative having three oxo-groups, tri-tert-butyl-1,4,7-trioxophenalenyl, and two types of the corresponding σ-dimers were investigated. Quantum chemical calculations showed that the neutral diradical is in triplet ground state having doubly degenerate singly occupied molecular orbitals. The neutral diradical undergoes a σ-dimerization, generating two types of σ-dimers immediately after the preparation. One of the σ-dimers, which was selectively generated in the crystalline state, was a close-shell dimer linked through double-σ-bonds on the phenalenyl skeleton with a long C-C bond length of 1.66 Å. The other σ-dimer, which existed only in the solution state, was a peroxy-linked open-shell dimer in which one σ-bond was formed between two oxygen atoms. Furthermore, the temperature-dependent 1 H NMR and ESR spectra revealed that these σ-dimers are in equilibrium in the solution state by the reversible σ-bond formation/cleavage via the neutral diradical as a key intermediate.

Proton Order-Disorder Phenomena in a Hydrogen-Bonded Rhodium-η(5)-Semiquinone Complex: A Possible Dielectric Response Mechanism.

A newly synthesized one-dimensional (1D) hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) rhodium(II)-η(5)-semiquinone complex, [Cp*Rh(η(5)-p-HSQ-Me4)]PF6 ([1]PF6; Cp* = 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl; HSQ = semiquinone) exhibits a paraelectric-antiferroelectric second-order phase transition at 237.1 K. Neutron and X-ray crystal structure analyses reveal that the H-bonded proton is disordered over two sites in the room-temperature (RT) phase. The phase transition would arise from this proton disorder together with rotation or libration of the Cp* ring and PF6(-) ion. The relative permittivity εb' along the H-bonded chains reaches relatively high values (ca., 130) in the RT phase. The temperature dependence of (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra demonstrates that the proton is dynamically disordered in the RT phase and that the proton exchange has already occurred in the low-temperature (LT) phase. Rate constants for the proton exchange are estimated to be 10(-4)-10(-6) s in the temperature range of 240-270 K. DFT calculations predict that the protonation/deprotonation of [1](+) leads to interesting hapticity changes of the semiquinone ligand accompanied by reduction/oxidation by the π-bonded rhodium fragment, producing the stable η(6)-hydroquinone complex, [Cp*Rh(3+)(η(6)-p-H2Q-Me4)](2+) ([2](2+)), and η(4)-benzoquinone complex, [Cp*Rh(+)(η(4)-p-BQ-Me4)] ([3]), respectively. Possible mechanisms leading to the dielectric response are discussed on the basis of the migration of the protonic solitons comprising of [2](2+) and [3], which would be generated in the H-bonded chain.

Control of Exchange Interactions in π Dimers of 6-Oxophenalenoxyl Neutral π Radicals: Spin-Density Distributions and Multicentered-Two-Electron Bonding Governed by Topological Symmetry and Substitution at the 8-Position.

The tri-tert-butylphenalenyl (TBPLY) radical exists as a π dimer in the crystal form with perfect overlapping of the singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs) causing strong antiferromagnetic exchange interactions. 2,5-Di-tert-butyl-6-oxophenalenoxyl (6OPO) is a phenalenyl-based air-stable neutral π radical with extensive spin delocalization and is a counter analogue of phenalenyl in terms of the topological symmetry of the spin density distribution. X-ray crystal structure analyses showed that 8-tert-butyl- and 8-(p-XC6H4)-6OPOs (X=I, Br) also form π dimers in the crystalline state. The π-dimeric structure of 8-tert-butyl-6OPO is seemingly similar to that of TBPLY even though its SOMO-SOMO overlap is small compared with that of TBPLY. The 8-(p-XC6H4) derivatives form slipped stacking π dimers in which the SOMO-SOMO overlaps are greater than in 8-tert-butyl-6OPO, but still smaller than in TBPLY. The solid-state electronic spectra of the 6OPO derivatives show much weaker intradimer charge-transfer bands, and SQUID measurements for 8-(p-BrC6H4)-6OPO show a weak antiferromagnetic exchange interaction in the π dimer. These results demonstrate that the control of the spin distribution patterns of the phenalenyl skeleton switches the mode of exchange interaction within the phenalenyl-based π dimer. The formation of the relevant multicenter-two-electron bonds is discussed.

Design and Synthesis of a C3 Symmetrical Phenalenyl Derivative with Three Oxo Groups by Regioselective Deoxygenation/Oxygenation.

Tri-tert-butylated 4,7-dihydroxyphenalenone was designed and synthesized from a corresponding 4,9-dimethoxyphenalenone derivative by regioselective deoxygenation/oxygenation. The 4,7-dihydroxyphenalenone derivative showed a chromic behavior accompanied by protonation and deprotonation, giving monocation and dianion species, respectively, and their C3 symmetric electronic structures were elucidated by experimental and theoretical methods.

Alternating covalent bonding interactions in a one-dimensional chain of a phenalenyl-based singlet biradical molecule having Kekulé structures.

A novel naphthoquinoid singlet biradical (2a) stabilized by phenalenyl rings is prepared by a multistep procedure and is investigated in terms of covalent bonding interactions. The molecule 2a gives single crystals, in which a 1D chain is formed with a very short π-π contact at the overlapping phenalenyl rings. The unpaired electrons in 2a are involved in covalent bonding interactions not only within the molecule but also between the molecules in the 1D chain, and a linear conjugation is made of the alternating intra- and intermolecular covalent bonding interactions through conventional π-conjugation and multicenter bonding, respectively. The linear conjugation causes a lower-energy shift of the optical transition band in the crystal, but the transition energy is higher than that of the benzoquinoid singlet biradical (1a). This optical behavior and the magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that the intermolecular covalent bonding interaction in the 1D chain of 2a is greater in strength than the intramolecular one, despite the fact that a fully conjugated Kekulé structure can be drawn for 2a.

Triple-stranded metallo-helicates addressable as Lloyd's electron spin qubits.

We have first achieved the synthesis of triple-stranded metallo-helicates composed of 4,4':2',2'':4'',4'''-quaterimidazole (Qim) and Mn(II) or Zn(II) ions, which serve as synthetic electron spin qubits (quantum bits). In the crystal structure, a hydrogen-bonding network through counteranions and/or crystal solvents was constructed by the outward N-H hydrogen-bonding functional groups intrinsic to the imidazole skeleton. Importantly, these helicates showed high stability even in a solution state at room temperature. These salient features of triple helicates of Qim are different from those of reported metallo-helicates. These chemical properties of the Qim-based triple helicates allow us to synthesize magnetically diluted single crystals composed of Mn(II) (S = 5/2) and diamagnetic Zn(II) complexes of Qim in an appropriate Mn(II)/Zn(II) ratio. The magnetically diluted crystals can afford to build up the prototype of electron-spin qubits of Lloyd's one-dimensional periodic system, which gives a practical approach to scalable quantum computers/quantum information processing systems (QCs/QIPSs). The experiments have proven the practical capability of oligo(imidazole)s as a component of Lloyd's system which has nonequivalent g-tensors within the helicate (g-engineering). The helical symmetry plays an important role in giving a prototype of the synthetic spin qubits of the formidable Lloyd model. This result links supramolecular chemistry to the field of QCs/QIPSs.

Electronic structure of delocalized singlet biradical Ph2-IDPL solid film.

The film structure and electronic structure of a biradical hydrocarbon, diphenyl derivative of s-indacenodiphenalene (Ph(2)-IDPL) solid film has been investigated. A small energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) compared with that of typical π-conjugated small molecules was observed even for the amorphous film of Ph(2)-IDPL. This result indicates that the small HOMO-LUMO gap is an important characteristic of the singlet biradical electronic structure and well explains the previously reported ambipolar field effects of amorphous Ph(2)-IDPL film by Chikamatsu et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 2007, 91, 043506. It was found that the gas-deposition method substantially improved the crystallinity of the film where Ph(2)-IDPL molecules form quasi one-dimensional (1D) molecular chains normal to the substrate surface. An extremely small HOMO-LUMO gap was observed in the polycrystalline Ph(2)-IDPL film, which is possibly caused by strong intermolecular coupling. The photon energy dependence of ultraviolet photoemission spectra shows that the stacked Ph(2)-IDPL molecular chain in the polycrystalline film develops an energy band structure in the direction of the surface normal of the film. The intermolecular covalency therefore evolves into the quasi 1D energy band along the molecular stacking direction.

Curve-structured phenalenyl chemistry: synthesis, electronic structure, and bowl-inversion barrier of a phenalenyl-fused corannulene anion.

We have demonstrated the features of curve-structured phenalenyl chemistry, for the first time. A phenalenyl-fused corannulene anion has been designed by the annelation of a six-memberd ring across peri-positions of corannulene and generated as a stable species in a degassed solution. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra have shown the highly symmetrical structure and high-field shifts of protons and carbons at the asterisked positions in the chemical structure, indicating the occurrence of large negative charge densities at these positions. These results well agree with the HOMO picture and the electrostatic potential surface, demonstrating the phenalenyl anion-type electronic structure is retained in the curved-surface pi-system. The calculated bowl-inversion barrier of the anion (11.3 kcal/mol) is larger than that of corannulene (9.2 kcal/mol) because of peri-annelation of the corannulene skeleton. The calculations of the barriers of the neutral radical (12.6 kcal/mol), radical dianion (8.1 kcal/mol), and trianion (5.4 kcal/mol) of the phenalenyl-fused corannulene have exhibited a stepwise flattening of the curvature with increase in negative charge. Therefore, we have revealed that the bowl-inversion barrier of the anion is governed by the setoff of the peri-annelation and negative charge effects.

Singlet biradical character of phenalenyl-based Kekulé hydrocarbon with naphthoquinoid structure.

[reaction: see text] A new Kekulé polycyclic hydrocarbon with a singlet biradical index of 50% was synthesized. The singlet biradical character was assessed with UV and 1H-NMR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, SQUID magnetic susceptibility measurement, and quantum chemical calculations.

Zwitterionic pi-radical involving EDT-TTF-imidazole and F4TCNQ: redox properties and self-assembled structure by hydrogen-bonds and multiple S...S interactions.

The reaction between an imidazole-functionalized EDT-TTF and F(4)TCNQ produced a zwitterionic pi-radical, which formed a self-assembled structure by the cooperation of hydrogen-bonds and multiple S...S interactions and exhibited three-step oxidation processes and a high electrical conductivity as a single-component organic molecule.

Structures and phase transition of multi-layered water nanotube confined to nanochannels.

We placed nanometer-scale water-tube clusters with phase transition within a porous crystal formed from molecular blocks specifically designed to investigate the molecular dynamics of confined water molecules.

The first bowl-shaped stable neutral radical with a corannulene system: synthesis and characterization of the electronic structure.

[structure: see text] A bowl-shaped neutral radical with a corannulene system has been designed and synthesized for the first time as a stable solid in air. An unequivocal characterization of the electronic properties of the radical shows that an appreciable amount of spin delocalization extends onto the corannulene unit's curved surface.

Topological symmetry control in spin density distribution: spin chemistry of phenalenyl-based neutral monoradical systems.

[structure: see text] Topological symmetry-based extensions of a pi-conjugation network in an odd alternant phenalenyl radical have enabled us to control the spin density distribution systematically. ESR/ENDOR and NICS studies on the topological isomers of oxophenalenoxyl have revealed that the unpaired electron tends to localize in the antiaromatic ring systems.

Hydrogen-bonded charge-transfer complexes of TTF containing a uracil moiety: crystal structures and electronic properties of the hydrogen cyananilate and TCNQ complexes.

[structure: see text] A novel TTF-based donor with a uracil moiety, TTF-(1-n-butyluracil-5-yl) (TnbU), was synthesized. Crystal structures of both TnbU and the charge-transfer complex of TnbU-hydrogen cyananilate possess complementary double hydrogen bonds through uracil moieties and pi-stacking dimer structures between TTF skeletons. Furthermore, the TnbU-TCNQ charge-transfer complex shows a high electrical conductivity underlying the partial charge-transfer accompanied by a hydrogen-bonding interaction, which was substantiated in terms of the measurements of the IR, electronic spectra, and conductivity.

Redox-based spin diversity in a 6-oxophenalenoxyl system: generation, ESR/ENDOR/TRIPLE, and theoretical studies of 2,5,8-tri-tert-butylphenalenyl- 1,6-bis(olate) salts.

[reaction: see text] Novel open-shell molecular salts, 2,5,8-tri-tert-butylphenalenyl-1,6-bis(olate) salts, were designed on the basis of the 6-oxophenalenoxyl system and generated by the chemical reduction of 6-hydroxyphenalenone derivatives. ESR/ENDOR/TRIPLE measurements and DFT calculations provide unequivocal determination of the structure and spin density distribution, which demonstrate redox-based spin diversity of the 6-oxophenalenoxyl system.

Structure and Properties of 3-(Diethylboryl)pyridines(1).

3-(Diethylboryl)pyridine (1a), a versatile starting material for the preparation of arylpyridines, is notable for its stability under ambient conditions, in spite of little steric hindrance on the boron atom. (1)H and (13)C spectra of 1a indicated that the boryl group does not act as a mere pi-acceptor and that the boron atom is shielded by ca. 50 ppm even when compared with trivalent boron atoms conjugated with the pi-donor. A single-crystal X-ray crystallographic study for 1a revealed formation of a cyclic-tetramer with a void via the intermolecular boron-nitrogen coordination bond. Vapor pressure osmometry in various solvents suggested that 1a comprises the tetramer in these solutions. In order to know the actual structure, synthesis of 3-(2-methoxyethoxy)-5-(diethylboryl)pyridine (1b) and its scrambling experiment with 1a were carried out. Heating at 100 degrees C for 24 h was required to attain the equilibrium of the scrambling of the component molecules in the tetramers. This means that 3-(diethylboryl)pyridines 1a and 1b comprise the rigid cyclic-tetramer in solution at ambient temperature. Compound 1b is stable in aerated tetrahydrofuran containing up to 33 % water.