π-dimerization of pleiadiene radical cations at low temperatures revealed by UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry and quantum theory

van het Goor, L., van Duijnen, P. T., Koper, C., Jenneskens, L. W., Havenith, R. W. A. and Hartl, F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7013-5360 (2010) π-dimerization of pleiadiene radical cations at low temperatures revealed by UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry and quantum theory. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 15 (10). pp. 2107-2117. ISSN 1432-8488 doi: 10.1007/s10008-011-1532-3

Abstract/Summary

One-electron oxidation of the non-alternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pleiadiene and related cyclohepta[ c,d]pyrene and cyclohepta[c,d]fluoranthene in THF produces corresponding radical cations detectable in the temperature range of 293–263 K only on the subsecond time scale of cyclic voltammetry. Although the EPR-active red-coloured pleiadiene radical cation is stable according to the literature in concentrated sulfuric acid, spectroelectrochemical measurements reported in this study provide convincing evidence for its facile conversion into the green-coloured, formally closed shell and, hence, EPRsilent π-bound dimer dication stable in THF at 253 K. The unexpected formation of the thermally unstable dimeric product featuring a characteristic intense low-energy absorption band at 673 nm (1.84 eV; logεmax=4.0) is substantiated by ab initio calculations on the parent pleiadiene molecule and the PF6 − salts of the corresponding radical cation and dimer dication. The latter is stabilized with respect to the radical cation by 14.40 kcal mol−1 (DFT B3LYP) [37.64 kcal mol−1 (CASPT2/DFT B3LYP)]. An excellent match has been obtained between the experimental and TDDFT- calculated UV–vis spectra of the PF6 − salt of the pleiadiene dimer dication, considering solvent (THF) effects.