Open-shell singlet diradicaloids display unique electronic, nonlinear optical, and magnetic activity and could become novel molecular materials for organic electronics, photonics, and spintronics. However, design and synthesis of diradicaloids with a significant polyradical character is a challenging task for chemists. In this Article, we report our efforts toward a tetraradicaloid system. A series of potential tetraradicaloids by fusion of two p-quinodimethane (p-QDM) units with naphthalene or benzene rings in different modes were synthesized. Their model compounds containing one p-QDM moiety were also prepared and compared. Their ground-state structures, physical properties, and chemical reactivity were systematically investigated by various experimental methods such as steady-state and transient absorption, two-photon absorption, X-ray crystallographic analysis, electron spin resonance, superconducting quantum interference device, and electrochemistry, assisted by density functional theory calculations. It was found that their diradical and tetraradical characters show a clear dependence on the fusion mode. Upon the introduction of more five-membered rings, the diradical characters greatly decrease. This difference can be explained by the pro-aromaticity/antiaromaticity of the molecules as well as the intramolecular charge transfer. Our comprehensive studies provide a guideline for the design and synthesis of stable open-shell singlet polycyclic hydrocarbons with significant polyradical characters.

No abstract

A radical-based asymmetric olefin difunctionalization strategy for rapidly forging all-carbon quaternary stereocenters α to diverse azaarenes is reported. Under cooperative photoredox and chiral Brønsted acid catalysis, cyclopropylamines with αbranched 2-vinylazaarenes can undergo a sequential two-step radical process, furnishing various valuable chiral azaarene-substituted cyclopentanes. The use of the rigid and confined C 2 -symmetric imidodiphosphoric acid catalysts achieves high enantio-and diastereo-selectivities for these asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloadditions.

The challenging synthesis of a laterally extended heptazethrene molecule, the super-heptazethrene derivative SHZ-CF3, is reported. This molecule was prepared using a strategy involving a multiple selective intramolecular Friedel-Crafts alkylation followed by oxidative dehydrogenation. Compound SHZ-CF3 exhibits an open-shell singlet diradical ground state with a much larger diradical character compared with the heptazethrene derivatives. An intermediate dibenzo-terrylene SHZ-2H was also obtained during the synthesis. This study provides a new synthetic method to access large-size quinoidal polycyclic hydrocarbons with unique physical properties.

A new class of conjugated polycyclic molecules containing a C6–C5–C6–C7–C6 polycylic framework was synthesized. Both experiments and calculations show different electron structures in comparison to their pentacene isomers.

The fundamental relationship between structure and diradical character is important for the development of open-shell diradicaloid-based materials. In this work, we synthesized two structural isomers bearing a 2,6-naphthoquinodimethane or a 1,5-naphthoquinodimethane bridge and demonstrated that their diradical characters and chemical reactivity are quite different. The mesityl or pentafluorophenyl substituted octazethrene derivatives OZ-M/OZ-F and their isomer OZI-M (with mesityl substituents) were synthesized via an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts alkylation followed by oxidative dehydrogenation strategy from the key building blocks 4 and 11. Our detailed experimental and theoretical studies showed that both isomers have an open-shell singlet ground state with a remarkable diradical character (y 0 = 0.35 and 0.34 for OZ-M and OZ-F, and y 0 = 0.58 for OZI-M). Compounds OZ-M and OZ-F have good stability under the ambient environment while OZI-M has high reactivity and can be easily oxidized to a dioxo-product 15, which can be correlated to their different diradical characters. Additionally, we investigated the physical properties of OZ-M, OZ-F and 15.

A dearomatized PN3P*-nickel hydride complex has been prepared using an oxidative addition process. The first nickel-catalyzed hydrosilylation of CO2 to methanol has been achieved, with unprecedented turnover numbers. Selective methylation and formylation of amines with CO2 were demonstrated by such a PN3P*-nickel hydride complex, highlighting its versatile functions in CO2 reduction.

Unlike the conventional model of transition metal catalysis, ligands in metal–ligand cooperative (or bifunctional) catalysis are involved in the substrate activations. Such processes have offered unique mechanistic understandings and led...