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Extremely Long Lived Localized Singlet Diradicals in a Macrocyclic Structure: A Case Study on the Stretch Effect
Author(s) -
Harada Yuta,
Wang Zhe,
Kumashiro Shunsuke,
Hatano Sayaka,
Abe Manabu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201803076
Subject(s) - diradical , homolysis , singlet state , chemistry , photochemistry , computational chemistry , radical , atomic physics , organic chemistry , excited state , physics
Localized singlet diradicals have attracted much attention, not only in the field of bond‐homolysis chemistry, but also in nonlinear optical materials. In this study, an extremely long lived localized singlet diradical was obtained by using a new molecular design strategy in which it is kinetically stabilized by means of a macrocycle that increases the molecular strain of the corresponding σ‐bonded compound. Notably, the lifetime of this diradical (14 μs) is two orders of magnitude longer than that of a standard singlet diradical without a macrocyclic structure (≈0.2 μs) at 293 K. The species is persistent below a temperature of 100 K. In addition to the kinetic stabilization of the singlet diradical, the spontaneous oxidation of its corresponding ring‐closed compound at 298 K produced oxygenated products under atmospheric conditions. Apparently, the “stretch effect” induced by the macrocyclic structure plays a crucial role in extending the lifetime of localized singlet diradicals and increasing the reactivity of their corresponding σ‐bonded compounds.