Open AccessThe Three C's of Cethrene
Author(s) -
Michal Jurı́ček
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chimia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.387
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 2673-2424
pISSN - 0009-4293
DOI - 10.2533/chimia.2018.322
Subject(s) - unpaired electron , delocalized electron , excited state , ground state , conjugated system , spintronics , chemical physics , molecule , electron , singlet state , reactivity (psychology) , chirality (physics) , chemistry , materials science , physics , atomic physics , condensed matter physics , ferromagnetism , organic chemistry , symmetry breaking , quantum mechanics , polymer , medicine , alternative medicine , chiral symmetry breaking , pathology , nambu–jona lasinio model
Molecules that contain one or more unpaired electrons delocalized within a ?-conjugated backbone are promising candidates for applications in spin electronics or simply 'spintronics'. Our group develops functional organic materials based on ?-conjugated hydrocarbon molecules, where the electrons are unpaired either in the ground state or in the excited state that is low in energy and can be populated thermally. We aim to learn how to introduce and control a multitude of properties, namely, optical, chiroptical, magnetic, and conductive, in a bulk material made of these molecules, by manipulating spin interactions between the unpaired electrons. The first model system that was developed in our group is a hydrocarbon named cethrene, which has a diradicaloid singlet ground state and a low-lying triplet excited state. In this article, the structural parameters and their impact on the properties and reactivity of cethrene are discussed within the realm of the three C's that symbolize cethrene's C-shape, chirality, and chameleonic reactivity.