Unveiling Three Interconvertible Redox States of Boraphenalene
Chun‐Lin Deng, Kimberly K. Hollister, Andrew Molino, Bi Youan E. Tra, Diane A. Dickie, David J. D. Wilson, Robert J. Gilliard
Abstract
Neutral 1-boraphenalene displays the isoelectronic structure of the phenalenyl carbocation and is expected to behave as an attractive organoboron multi-redox system. However, the isolation of new redox states have remained elusive even though the preparation of neutral boron(III)-containing phenalene compounds have been extensively studied. Herein, we have adopted an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand stabilization approach to achieve the first isolation of the stable and ambipolar 1-boraphenalenyl radical 1 • . The 1-boraphenalenyl cation 1 + and anion 1 – have also been electrochemically observed and chemically isolated, representing new redox forms of boraphenalene for the study of non-Kekulé polynuclear benzenoid molecules. Experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that the interconvertible three-redox-state species undergo reversible electronic structure modifications, which primarily take place on the polycyclic framework of the molecules, exhibiting atypical behavior compared to known donor-stabilized organoboron compounds. Initial reactivity studies, aromaticity evaluations, and photophysical studies show redox-state-dependent trends. While 1 + is luminescent in both the solution and solid states, 1 • exhibits boron-centered reactivity and 1 – undergoes substitution chemistry on the boraphenalenyl skeleton and serves as a single-electron transfer reductant.