A new qualitative model for estimating the properties of substituted cyclopentadienes and siloles in their lowest ππ* excited states is introduced and confirmed through quantum chemical calculations, and then applied to explain earlier reported experimental excitation energies. According to our model, which is based on excited-state aromaticity and antiaromaticity, siloles and cyclopentadienes are cross-hyperconjugated "aromatic chameleons" that adapt their electronic structures to conform to the various aromaticity rules in different electronic states (Hückel's rule in the π(2) electronic ground state (S0) and Baird's rule in the lowest ππ* excited singlet and triplet states (S1 and T1)). By using pen-and-paper arguments, one can explain polarity changes upon excitation of substituted cyclopentadienes and siloles, and one can tune their lowest excitation energies by combined considerations of ground- and excited-state aromaticity/antiaromaticity effects. Finally, the "aromatic chameleon" model can be extended to other monocyclic compound classes of potential use in organic electronics, thereby providing a unified view of the S0, T1, and S1 states of a range of different cyclic cross-π-conjugated and cross-hyperconjugated compound classes.

The first hydrogenation step of benzene, which is endergonic in the electronic ground state (S0), becomes exergonic in the first triplet state (T1). This is in line with Baird's rule, which tells that benzene is antiaromatic and destabilized in its T1 state and also in its first singlet excited state (S1), opposite to S0, where it is aromatic and remarkably unreactive. Here we utilized this feature to show that benzene and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to various extents undergo metal-free photochemical (hydro)silylations and transfer-hydrogenations at mild conditions, with the highest yield for naphthalene (photosilylation: 21%). Quantum chemical computations reveal that T1-state benzene is excellent at H-atom abstraction, while cyclooctatetraene, aromatic in the T1 and S1 states according to Baird's rule, is unreactive. Remarkably, also CVD-graphene on SiO2 is efficiently transfer-photohydrogenated using formic acid/water mixtures together with white light or solar irradiation under metal-free conditions.

Thirty two differently substituted siloles 1a–1p and 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes 2a–2p were investigated by quantum chemical calculations using the PBE0 hybrid density functional theory (DFT) method. The substituents included σ-electron donating and withdrawing, as well as π-electron donating and withdrawing groups, and their effects when placed at the Si atom(s) or at the C atoms were examined. Focus was placed on geometries, frontier orbital energies and the energies of the first allowed electronic excitations. We analyzed the variation in energies between the orbitals which correspond to HOMO and LUMO for the two parent species, here represented as ΔεHL, motivated by the fact that the first allowed transitions involve excitation between these orbitals. Even though ΔεHL and the excitation energies are lower for siloles than for 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes the latter display significantly larger variations with substitution. The ΔεHL of the siloles vary within 4.57–5.35 eV (ΔΔεHL = 0.78 eV) while for the 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes the range is 5.49–7.15 eV (ΔΔεHL = 1.66 eV). The excitation energy of the first allowed transitions display a moderate variation for siloles (3.60–4.41 eV) whereas the variation for 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes is nearly doubled (4.69–6.21 eV). Cyclobutadisiloles combine the characteristics of siloles and 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-diene by having even lower excitation energies than siloles yet also extensive variation in excitation energies to substitution of 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes (3.47–4.77 eV, variation of 1.30 eV).

Cyclic cross-hyperconjugation can exist to variable extents in 1,4ditetrelcyclohexa-2,5-dienes, i.e., all-carbon cyclohexa-1,4-dienes and 1,4-disila/ digerma/distanna/diplumbacyclohexa-2,5-dienes. In this study we first use density functional theory (DFT) computations to optimize the conjugation strength by seeking the optimal atom E and substituent group E′Me 3 in the two saturated E(E′Me 3 ) 2 moieties (E and E′ as the same or different tetrel (group 14) elements). We reveal that the all-carbon cyclohexadienes with gradually heavier E′Me 3 substituents at the two saturated carbon atoms display significant crosshyperconjugation. The first electronic excitations in these compounds, which formally have two isolated CC bonds, are calculated to reach wavelengths as long as 400 nm (excitation energies of 3.1 eV). These transitions are mostly forbidden, and the lowest allowed transitions are found at 387 nm (3.2 eV). The silicon analogues are also cross-hyperconjugated, while a decline is observed in the 1,4-digerma/ distanna/diplumbacyclohexa-2,5-diene. Experiments on two substituted 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes confirm the effect of the E′Me 3 substituents, with regard to both electronic excitations and geometries as determined by UV absorption spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, respectively. At the end, we reveal through computations how electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents at the CC double bonds influence the electronic properties of the all-carbon ring. We find that the first calculated excitation, which is forbidden, can be shifted to 440 nm (2.83 eV). This shows to what extent cyclic cross-hyperconjugation can affect the electronic and optical properties of a compound with two formally isolated CC double bonds.

DFT calculations are used to study molecules that can be regarded as expanded 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-dienes as well as oligomers based on these or 1,4-disilacyclohexa-2,5-diene with the aim to identify systems with extended (cross)-hyperconjugation.