Simultaneous Ejection of Six Electrons at a Constant Potential by Hexakis(4-ferrocenylphenyl)benzene

A simple synthesis of a dendritic hexaferrocenyl electron donor (5) is described in which six ferrocene moieties are connected at the vertices of the propeller of the hexaphenylbenzene core. The molecular structure of 5 is confirmed by X-ray crystallography. An electrochemical analysis along with redox titrations (which are tantamount to coulometry) confirmed that it ejects six electrons at a single potential

Molecular Actuator: Redox-Controlled Clam-Like Motion in a Bichromophoric Electron Donor

The one-electron oxidation of tetramethoxydibenzobicyclo[4.4.1]undecane (4) prompts it to undergo a clam-like electromechanical actuation into a cofacially π-stacked conformer as established by (i) electrochemical analysis, (ii) by the observation of the intense charge-resonance transition in the near IR region in its cation radical spectrum, and (iii) by X-ray crystallographic characterization of the isolated cation radical salt (4+• SbCl6−)

X-ray Structural Characterization of Charge Delocalization onto the Three Equivalent Benzenoid Rings in Hexamethoxytriptycene Cation Radical

Definitive X-ray crystallographic evidence is obtained for a single hole (or a polaron) to be uniformly distributed on the three equivalent 1,2-dimethoxybenzenoid (or veratrole) rings in the hexamethoxytriptycene cation radical. This conclusion is further supported by electrochemical analysis and by the observation of an intense near-IR transition in its electronic spectrum, as well as by comparison of the spectral and electrochemical characteristics with the model compounds containing one and two dimethoxybenzene rings

Charge Delocalization in Self-Assembled Mixed-Valence Aromatic Cation Radicals

The spontaneous assembly of aromatic cation radicals (D+•) with their neutral counterpart (D) affords dimer cation radicals (D2+•). The intermolecular dimeric cation radicals are readily characterized by the appearance of an intervalence charge-resonance transition in the NIR region of their electronic spectra and by ESR spectroscopy. The X-ray crystal structure analysis and DFT calculations of a representative dimer cation radical (i.e., the octamethylbiphenylene dimer cation radical) have established that a hole (or single positive charge) is completely delocalized over both aromatic moieties. The energetics and the geometrical considerations for the formation of dimer cation radicals is deliberated with the aid of a series of cyclophane-like bichromophoric donors with drastically varied interplanar angles between the cofacially arranged aryl moieties. X-ray crystallography of a number of mixed-valence cation radicals derived from monochromophoric benzenoid donors established that they generally assemble in 1D stacks in the solid state. However, the use of polychromophoric intervalence cation radicals, where a single charge is effectively delocalized among all of the chromophores, can lead to higher-order assemblies with potential applications in long-range charge transport. As a proof of concept, we show that a single charge in the cation radical of a triptycene derivative is evenly distributed on all three benzenoid rings and this triptycene cation radical forms a 2D electronically coupled assembly, as established by X-ray crystallography