Issue 40, 2020

Persistent, highly localized, and tunable [4]helicene radicals

Abstract

Persistent organic radicals have gained considerable attention in the fields of catalysis and materials science. In particular, helical molecules are of great interest for the development and application of novel organic radicals in optoelectronic and spintronic materials. Here we report the syntheses of easily tunable and stable neutral quinolinoacridine radicals under anaerobic conditions by chemical reduction of their quinolinoacridinium cation analogs. The structures of these [4]helicene radicals were determined by X-ray crystallography. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, supported by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, indicate that over 40% of spin density is located at the central carbon of our [4]helicene radicals regardless of their structural modifications. The localization of the charge promotes a reversible oxidation to the cation upon exposure to air. This unusual reactivity toward molecular oxygen was monitored via UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Graphical abstract: Persistent, highly localized, and tunable [4]helicene radicals

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
03 Sep 2020
Accepted
12 Sep 2020
First published
23 Sep 2020
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2020,11, 11060-11067

Persistent, highly localized, and tunable [4]helicene radicals

A. C. Shaikh, J. Moutet, J. M. Veleta, M. M. Hossain, J. Bloch, A. V. Astashkin and T. L. Gianetti, Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 11060 DOI: 10.1039/D0SC04850J

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