Recent Advances of Stable Phenoxyl Diradicals

Organic radicals with unpaired electrons have shown great semiconducting properties with potential applications in the field of organic photodetectors,organic light-emitting diodes and organic spintronics.A major problem for limiting radicals from laboratory research to practical applications is the relatively low chemical and physical stabilities.Therefore,the right selection of radical core is the key to meaningful scientific research.Phenoxyl radical is one of the few stable radicals with spin distribution properties.Moreover,phenoxyl diradicals provide extract stability due to multiple resonance structures.Due to the long-distance spin distribution,which makes phenoxyl diradicals show interesting electronic and magnetic properties.In this review,we summarize the progress of phenoxyl diradicals in recent years in terms of syntheses,properties and future perspective.

Diradical Character and Controllable Magnetic Properties in Chitin Through Radical Modification

The parent and radical-modified chitin units are computationally studied and the parent chitin unit possesses closed-shell singlet(CS)state as its ground state.Two radicals(CH_(3)·and CH_(3)CH_(2)·)are chosen to modify the parent chitin unit.Calculations predict that CH_(3)CH_(2)·-modified chitin unit possesses the open-shell broken-symmetry(BS)singlet diradical ground state,different from that CH_(3)·-modified chitin unit is a triplet diradical.That is to say,the magnetic conversion can occur from nonmagnetic exchange coupling to antiferromagnetic(AFM)or ferromagnetic(FM)exchange coupling by means of the radical modification method.The present work helps to get a basic understanding of structures and electronic properties of chitin and its radical-modified derivatives at the atomistic level.Moreover,it also provides a feasible way to design new chitin-based magnetic materials and organic magnetic switches.

Theoretical Studies on the Mechanism of Photocycloaddition Reaction Between 6 Azauracil and Acetone

The mechanism of photocycloaddition reaction between 6-azauracll and acetone was studied by using semiemptrical SCFMO AMI method. It was found that this reaction is not a concerted one. The calculated results are as follows:(1) A T1 state exciplex is on the T1 state energy surface; (2) T exciplex as a reactant will proceed along the energy surface of T1 state to form a diradical intermediate. The energy barrier of this reaction step is 63. 6 kJ/mol; (3) The T1 state diradical intermediate happens to be close in energy to the ground state intermediate with a similar geometry. Such a situation turns out to be very favorable for an intersystem crossing (jump from the T, state to the ground state) ; (4) The final product will be formed from the ground S0 state intermediate via an energy barrier 88. 2 kJ/mol.

Effects of Electron Donor and Different Solvents on Polarizability and Second Hyperpolarizability of Diradical Complex Involving X(X=B,Al,Ga)

The polarizability（α） and second hyperpolarizability（γ） were systemically investigated for singlet diradical complex involving X（X=B,Al,Ga） atom.The results show that both the α and γ can be effectively tuned by varying the distance R（between compound A and a water molecule） and acceptor atom X.The lone pair of electrons from the O atom of the water molecule entered into the vacant p orbital of atom X,which increased the diradical character and led to the increase of the α and γ values.Furthermore,the polarizable continuum model（PCM） was used to test the effects of H2O and CCl4 solvents on the α and γ values.Both the α and γ values of the studied diradical complex 1a（1b,1c） in H2O and CCl4 were uniformly enhanced.And the solvent effects of H2O on either α or γ were larger than those of CCl4.

Methylthio side-chain modified quinoidal benzo-[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene derivatives for high-performance ambipolar organic field-effect transistors

Quinoidal small molecule semiconductors hold huge potential in ambipolar organic field-effect transistors(OFETs)and organic spintronic devices.Here,two quinoidal molecules with methylthio side chains were synthesized to develop molecular semiconductors with high ambipolar mobility,designated QBDTS and QTBDTS.The theoretical calculation results reveal that QBDTS has a closed-shell structure while QTBDTS showed an open-shell structure with a biradical character(y0)of 0.46 and its magnetic properties were further investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)and superconducting quantum interference device(SQUID)methods.The methyl side chains showed a large impact on the molecular orbital levels.The HOMO/LUMO levels of QBDTS and QTBDTS were measured to be-5.66/-4.56 and-5.27/-4.48 eV,respectively,which are favorable for ambipolar charge transport in OFETs.Importantly,the spin-coated QBDTS displayed hole and electron mobilities of 0.01 and 0.5 cm^(2)V^(-1)s^(-1)while QTBDTS showed a record high hole mobility of 1.8 cm^(2)V^(-1)s^(-1)and electron mobility of 0.3 cm^(2)V^(-1)s^(-1).Moreover,comparative studies of the thin film morphologies also manifested the beneficial influence of methyl side chains on film crystallinity and molecule orientation.These results strongly proved that methyl side chain engineering can be a simple but efficient strategy for modulating electronic properties and molecular stacking behaviors.This work also represents a big advancement for quinoidal molecular semiconductors in ambipolar OFET applications.

Enhancing stability of diradical polycyclic hydrocarbons via P=O-attaching

Diradical polycyclic hydrocarbons(PHs)have unique open-shell structures and interesting physical prop-erties.However,owing to high reactivity of unpaired electrons,such open-shell organic diradicaloids are usually less stable than closed-shell systems,limiting their practical applications.In this study,we report P=O-attaching of diradical PHs as a new strategy to enhance their stability while maintaining diradi-cal properties.Three P=O-attached PHs containing the indeno[1,2-b]fluorene,fluoreno[3,2-b]fluorene and indeno[2,1-b]fluoreneπ-skeletons,respectively,were designed and synthesized.As theoretically and ex-perimentally proved,two of them have the relatively large diradical characters and open-shell singlet diradical nature.In comparison to their all-carbon analogues,the attached electron-withdrawing P=O groups endow them with much lower LUMO/HOMO energy levels but preserved magnetic activities and physical properties,such as thermally accessible triplet species and multi-redox ability.Moreover,the P=O groups effectively decrease their oxidation activities and thereby lead to their remarkably excellent ambient stabilities.Thus,this P=O-attaching strategy will be applicable to other diradical PH systems and may promote the generation of stable organic diradicaloids for radical chemistry and materials.

Progress of Indeno-type Organic Diradicaloids

Organic diradicaloids have unusual open-shell nature and properties and are promising materials for organic electronics,spintronics,energy storage and nonlinear optics.In this review,we focus on indeno-type organic diradicaloids and summarize their molecular design and synthesis,as well as topological structures,open-shell characters and diradical properties.The molecular systems are classified into indenofluorenes and diindenoacenes,indeno-based molecules with one-dimensional,two-dimensional and unique topological structures,and heterocyclic indeno-based molecules.By constructing these various topologicalπ-skeletons with tunable conjugation modes and variation of atomic composition,their key open-shell parameters,such as diradical characters and singlet-triplet energy gaps,along with the optical,electronic and magnetic properties,as well as stabilities are efficiently modulated.More attention may be paid to accurate computational analysis,rational design and synthesis,and novel functions of indeno-type diradicaloids,which will promote the development of radical chemistry and materials.

Construction and Functionalization of Highly Strained N-Doped Zigzag Hydrocarbon Belts

Recent years have witnessed breakthroughs in the study of zigzag hydrocarbon belts.However,the synthesis of heterocycle-containing zigzag molecular belts remains very rare and challenging despite their interesting structures and potential applications in chemistry and materials science.Here,we report the expeditious construction of a highly strained belt[4]arene[4](1,4-dihydropyridine)structure using the fjords-stitching strategy.The synthesis comprised four-fold abnormal m-bromination of four Npivaloylaniline units and Pd_(2)(dba)_(3)/4-Me_(2)NC_(6)H_(4)Pt Bu_(2)-catalyzed intramolecular C-N bond-forming reactions.Subsequent functionalization through Narylations produced a variety of tetraza-embedded octahydrobelt[8]arenes.Further oxidation of p-methoxyphenyl-substituted belt[4]arene[4](1,4-dihydropyridine)with Ag[Al(O^(t)Bu^(F))^(4)]yielded a singlet diradical dication N-doped zigzag belt.

Synthesis and Properties of a Through-Space Interacting Diradicaloid

Knowledge about electronic structures is important to gain an understanding of the unique functional properties of diradicaloids.In this study,we synthesized and characterized a diradicaloid in which two phenalenyl radical sites are coupled antiferromagnetically via a through-space interaction.The results of quantum chemical,physicochemical(^(1)H NMR,electronic absorption,cyclic voltammetry,SQUID,ESR),and chemical reactivity studies show that this diradicaloid has singlet diradical character.An assessment of the nature of the bonding interaction between two radical sites in this species using DFT calculations demonstrates that a small spatial overlap between the two SOMOs in this diradicaloid provides an efficient electron exchange path for the singlet state to be substantially lower in energy than the triplet state.

Singlet-triplet gaps in substituted carbenes predicted from block-correlated coupled cluster method

The block correlated coupled cluster (BCCC) method, with the complete active-space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) reference function, has been applied to investigating the singlet-triplet gaps in several substituted carbenes including four halocarbenes (CHCl, CF2, CCl2, and CBr2) and two hydroxycar-benes (CHOH and C(OH)2). A comparison of our results with the experimental data and other theoretical estimates shows that the present approach can provide quantitative descriptions for all the studied carbenes. It is demonstrated that the CAS-BCCC method is a promising theoretical tool for calculating the electronic structures of diradicals.

Nitrogen Analogues of o-Quinodimethane with Unexpected non-Kekule Diradical Character

Two-electron oxidations of three 1,2-di（bisphenylamino）-benzenes afforded a class of nitrogen analogues of o-quinodimethane. Their elec-tronic structures in the ground state were studied by spectroscopic techniques including EPR and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. They have open-shell singlet ground states with thermally accessible triplet states. One of them （12＋2） has been crystalized and isolated. SQUID measurements, single crystal X-ray diffraction and theoretical calculat ons show I has unexpected non-Kekule diradical character, sharply different from o-quinodirnethane.

Theoretical study on the formation mechanism of polychlorinated dibenzothiophenes/thianthrenes from 2-chlorothiophenol molecules

Homogeneous formation of polychlorinated dibenzothiophenes/thianthrenes（PCDT/TAs）,sulfurated compounds analogous to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofurans（PCDD/Fs）, has been well-documented to occur via radical–radical coupling reactions from chlorinated thiophenol precursors. However, the current understanding of the formation mechanism of PCDT/TAs is exclusively limited to the inherent point of view that chlorothiophenoxy radicals act as the only required intermediates for PCDT/TAs. This study investigates reaction pathways for the formation of PCDT/TAs involving two new types of radical species, i.e., substituted phenyl radicals and substituted thiophenoxyl diradicals. Taking 2-chlorothiophenol（2-CTP） as a model compound for chlorothiophenols,we found that apart from the mostly discussed chlorothiophenoxy radicals, substituted phenyl radicals and substituted thiophenoxyl diradicals could also be readily formed via the reaction of 2-CTP with H radicals. Furthermore, direct self-and cross-coupling of these radicals can result in the formation of PCDT/TAs, including 1-monochlorothianthrene（1-MCTA）, 1,6-dichlorothianthrene（1,6-DCTA）, 4,6-dichlorodibenzothiophene（4,6-DCDT）and 1,6-dichlorodibenzothiophene（1,6-DCDT）. The pathways proposed in this work are proven to be both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable. Particularly, comparisons were made between the formation mechanisms of sulfurated and oxygenated dioxin systems from an energetic point view, showing that replacing oxygen with sulfur atoms greatly reduces the activation barriers of the rate-controlling steps involved in the PCDT/TA formation processes compared with those involved for PCDD/Fs. The calculated results in this work may improve our understanding of the formation mechanism of PCDT/TAs from chlorothiophenol precursors and should be informative to environmental scientists.

Synthesis and characterization of an unexpected mechanochromicbistricyclic aromatic ene

An unexpected bistricyclic aromatic ene AF was synthesized in a tin(Ⅱ)chloride-mediated reductive aromatization reaction.The obtained AF showed a highly overcrowded structural conformation as revealed by X-ray crystallography.Interestingly,AF exhibited reversible high-contrast mechanochromism and thermochromism between pale and red color.The obvious chromism is likely ascribed to the conformation transformation and trace amount of diradical species formation upon stimulus.

Air-stable diradical dications with ferromagnetic interaction exceeding the thermal energy at room temperature: from a monomer to a dimer

Two tetraazacyclophane dications(1^(2+) and 2^(2+)) with different remote substituents have been synthesized, isolated and characterized.Their electronic structures and physical property were studied by various spectroscopic techniques, single crystal X-ray diffraction,super conducting quantum interference device(SQUID) measurements and theoretical calculations. The dications have triplet ground states with ferromagnetic interaction exceeding the thermal energy at room temperature. The solid-state structures of these species were tunable by substituent effect, with 1^(2+) as a monomer and 2^(2+) as a dimer.

One-dimensional alkylate-bridged Würster's blue-based diradical dications

By using weakly coordinating anions we succeeded in the stabilization and isolation of two Wfirster＇s blue-based diradicaloid dications with saturated spacers. Their geometries and electronic structures were investigated by various experiments in conjunction with DFT calculations. Both one-dimensional alkylate-bridged dications show considerable diradical character with spacer-dependent singlet-triplet energy gaps. One of them displays a much enhanced diradical character and could basically be viewed as a pure diradical with degeneracy of singlet and triplet states.

Air Stable Chalcogen-Doped Rubicenes with Diradical Character

Air stable diradicaloid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH)materials possess unique electronic and magnetic properties for various applications.In general,long conjugated distances between two radical centers are required to improve the air stability,thereby complicating the synthetic procedures.Herein,the chalcogen containing rubicenes(O-,S-,and Se-rubicenes)were systematically investigated to understand the chalcogen effects on chalcogen-rubicene physicochemical properties.Impressively,these rubicenes presented unprecedented diradical characterwithin one simple benzene ring and excellent air stabilities.Theirdiradicalcharacterweremanifested by single-crystal X-ray studies,variable-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance,and electron spin resonance.Furthermore,the nucleus independent chemical shifts andthe anisotropy of the induced currentdensity calculations revealed that the formation of diradical was caused by a pro-aromaticity driving force.Importantly,the diradical character of rubicenes are visualizedbyFractionalOccupationNumberWeighted Electron Density(FOD)plots,which present high NFOD values from 1.651 to 1.830.This contribution provided distinctive insights into the structure and property relationship of PAH diradicals.

Benzo[1,2-c;4,5-c']bis[1,2,5]thiadiazole-porphyrin-based near-infrared dyes

Benzo[1,2-c;4,5-cʹ]bis[1,2,5]thiadiazole(BBT)has intrinsic diradical character and herein it is used to construct organic near-infrared(NIR)dyes together with the aromatic porphyrin unit.Three BBT-porphyrin hybrid dyes 1-3 with different linkage modes are synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Sonogashira crosscoupling between meso-ethynylene porphyrin units and monobromo-/dibromo-BBT,or through unexpected homocoupling between the BBT units.They all possess small open-shell diradical character and display intense NIR absorption in the range of 800-1000 nm.They also exhibit amphoteric redox behavior.BBT-based diradicaloids are thus good candidates for organic NIR dyes.