Abstract

Stabilization of radical ions and highly electron-deficient systems under ambient conditions is of great significance. A new design concept is presented that applies the multifaceted features of the phosphonium group to achieve isolation of (a) the first naphthalenediimide (NDI) radical ion [(1a•+)BPh4–] as single crystals and (b) an ultra-electron-deficient NDI [(1a2+)2BF4–] having the lowest LUMO level recorded for an NDI, overwhelming the formative tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) molecule. Both 1a•+ and 1a2+ exhibit unprecedented stability to normal workup procedures, chromatography, and anion metathesis in open air. To our knowledge, this is the first instance where radical ions stable toward chromatography have been obtained, which is a noteworthy development in the field of synthetic radical chemistry. The crucial components of thermodynamic and kinetic stabilization, namely, the nonbonded P···O interaction, hypervalency, and propeller-like shape of the phosphonium groups in 1a2+ and 1a•+, were substantiated by crystallography and theoretical studies. Natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations validated the P···O contact to be an nO → σP–C* orbital interaction. Spontaneous electron transfer reactions of 1a2+ even in nonpolar solvents, anion−π interactions of 1a2+ with the naphthalene core, and panchromism of 1a•+ are the other emergent properties. The high-yielding (∼90%) in situ synthesis of 1a•+ and the extraordinary stability fostered by the phosphonium group have the potential to turn hitherto unstable organic systems into a new genre of stable off-the-shelf systems.
Supporting Information
Details of the synthesis and analytical characterization of the molecules by NMR, MALDI-TOF MS, EPR, and UV–vis spectroscopy; CV and DPV studies; X-ray crystallography (CIF); theoretical studies; and coordinates of the geometry-optimized structures (TXT). This material is available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.







