Structural aspects of aromaticity

Aromaticity and electronic properties of Heterosuperbenzene (Heterohexabenzocoronene)

A global electrophilicity parameter and the aromaticity of some heterocyclic polyaromatic hydrocarbons were evaluated on the basis of DFT calculations. The substitution of carbon atoms by nitrogen atoms dramatically changes the global electrophilicity of the molecules, with the fully substituted molecule being the most electrophilic with a reactivity very close to that of fullerene.

Analysis of Conformer Stability for 1,3,8-Trihydroxynaphthalene: Natural Substrate of Fungal Trihydroxynaphthalene Reductase

1,3,8-Trihydroxynaphthalene is one of the substrates in the fungal melanin biosynthesis pathway. We present theoretical studies on energies of its tautomeric forms and their rotamers. Several theory levels and solvent models have been tested using experimental results obtained in water-acetone mixtures as the reference point. Our results indicate that the best agreement with these data is obtained with density functional theory levels when the continuum solvation model uses the united atom topological cavity. We also noticed a fairly good performance of the semiempirical AM1 method that makes it a promising alternative for studies of large systems.

An energetic measure of aromaticity and antiaromaticity based on the Pauling-Wheland resonance energies

Various criteria based on geometric, energetic, magnetic, and electronic properties are employed to delineate aromatic and antiaromatic systems. The recently proposed block-localized wave function (BLW) method evaluates the original Pauling-Wheland adiabatic resonance energy (ARE), defined as the energy difference between the real conjugated system and the corresponding virtual most stable resonance structure. The BLW-derived ARE of benzene is 57.5 kcal mol(-1) with the 6-311+G** basis set. Kistiakowsky's historical experimental evaluation of the stabilization energy of benzene (36 kcal mol(-1)), based on heats of hydrogenation, seriously underestimates this quantity due to the neglect of the partially counterbalancing hyperconjugative stabilization of cyclohexene, employed as the reference olefin (three times) in Kistiakowsky's evaluation. Based instead on the bond-separation-energy reaction involving ethene, which has no hyperconjugation, as well as methane and ethane, the experimental resonance energy of benzene is found to be 65.0 kcal mol(-1). We derived the "extra cyclic resonance energy" (ECRE) to characterize and measure the extra stabilization (aromaticity) of conjugated rings. ECRE is the difference between the AREs of a fully cyclically conjugated compound and an appropriate model with corresponding, but interrupted (acyclic) conjugation. Based on 1,3,5-hexatriene, which also has three double bonds, the ECRE of benzene is 36.7 kcal mol(-1), whereas based on 1,3,5,7-octatetraene, which has three diene conjugations, the ECRE of benzene is 25.7 kcal mol(-1). Computations on a series of aromatic, nonaromatic, and antiaromatic five-membered rings validate the BLW-computed resonance energies (ARE). ECRE data on the five-membered rings (derived from comparisons with acyclic models) correlate well with nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) and other quantitative aromaticity criteria. The ARE of cyclobutadiene is almost the same as butadiene but is 10.5 kcal mol(-1) less than 1,3,5-hexatriene, which also has two diene conjugations. The instability and high reactivity of cyclobutadiene thus mainly result from the sigma-frame strain and the pi-pi Pauli repulsion.

Tautomeric equilibria and pi electron delocalization for some monohydroxyarenes--quantum chemical studies

Keto-enol tautomeric interconversions and variations of the pi-electron distribution were studied for 11 isolated monohydroxyarenes at the DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(2df,2p) level. For two monohydroxyarenes (phenol and 9-anthrol), the PCM model of solvation (water) was also applied to the DFT geometries. The geometry-based HOMA index was applied to estimate pi-electron delocalization in the keto and enol tautomeric forms. Thermodynamic parameters of tautomeric interconversions (DeltaET, DeltaGT, TDeltaST, pKT) were calculated to estimate relative stabilities of individual tautomers and their percentage contents in the tautomeric mixtures. In almost all cases, the aromatic enol forms are strongly favored. An exception is 9-anthrol, which prefers its keto form. The resonance stabilization of this form comes from the central ring. Generally, aromaticity is the main factor that influences tautomeric equilibria in monohydroxyarenes. Hydration effect is considerably smaller and it does not change the tautomeric preference.

Restricted Geometry Optimization: A Different Way To Estimate Stabilization Energies for Aromatic Molecules of Various Types

At RHF, MPn, and DFT levels, a procedure of geometry optimization under the restrictions of pi-orbital interactions (GOR) was developed, thus providing a conjugated molecule with the following two types of localized reference geometries: a "GL" geometry where all double bonds are localized, and n different "GE-n" geometries, in each of which only two double bonds were permitted to conjugate. Interestingly, the molecular energy differences between the corresponding pairs of GE-n and GL geometries were found to be additive in each of the acyclic polyenes, and these were not additive for benzene. As a result, an extra stabilization energy (ESE) value of -39.0 kcal/mol was found in benzene. Afterward, GOR was applied to benzene- and furan-like species, strained aromatic molecules, and substituted benzenes, and the calculated ESEs for these molecules were found to be in reasonable ranges. The GOR can isolate a specific group from other groups, and it has several special functions. First, with regard to the substituent effect, the ESE difference between substituted benzene and benzene can be partitioned into conjugative and inductive parts. Second, the behavior of strained aromatic molecules can be ascertained from the roles of their resonance interactions, strained-induced bond localization (SIBL), and inductive effects, indicating that it is resonance interactions, rather than SIBL, which are responsible for localizing double bonds. Emphatically, it is the GL and GE-n geometries of aromatic molecules, rather than nonaromatic compounds, which can be used as the reference structures for calculating ESE. Particularly, these localized geometries are no longer arbitrary.

Electron sharing indexes at the correlated level. Application to aromaticity calculations

Electron sharing indexes (ESI) have been applied to numerous bonding situations to provide an insight into the nature of the molecular electronic structures. Some of the most popular ESI given in the literature, namely, the delocalization index (DI), defined in the context of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), and the Fuzzy-Atom bond order (FBO), are here calculated at a correlated level for a wide set of molecules. Both approaches are based on the same quantity, the exchange-correlation density, to recover the electron sharing extent, and their differences lie in the definition of an atom in a molecule. In addition, while FBO atomic regions enable accurate and fast integrations, QTAIM definition of an atom leads to atomic domains that occasionally make the integration over these ones rather cumbersome. Besides, when working with a many-body wavefunction one can decide whether to calculate the ESI from first-order density matrices, or from second-order ones. The former way is usually preferred, since it avoids the calculation of the second-order density matrix, which is difficult to handle. Results from both definitions are discussed. Although these indexes are quite similar in their definition and give similar descriptions, when analyzed in greater detail, they reproduce different features of the bonding. In this manuscript DI is shown to explain certain bonding situations that FBO fails to cope with. Finally, these indexes are applied to the description of the aromaticity, through the aromatic fluctuation (FLU) and the para-DI (PDI) indexes. FLU and PDI indexes have been successfully applied using the DI measures, but other ESI based on other partitions such as Fuzzy-Atom can be used. The results provided in this manuscript for carbon skeleton molecules encourage the use of FBO for FLU and PDI indexes even at the correlated level.

Critical analysis of the local aromaticity concept in polyaromatic hydrocarbons

A large number of local aromaticity indices for the benzenoid rings in polyaromatic hydrocarbons is computed. The results are interpreted, supporting Clar's hypothesis, and mutual correlations are investigated. It is shown that there are good correlations between all indices that strictly allow comparing benzenoid character. Poor correlations are found with NICS. A rationale is offered, yielding the conclusion that NICS and ring current maps follow a fundamentally different path to local aromaticity. In this sense the lack of correlation is not due to a real multidimensional character of aromaticity but rather to confusion and vagueness of the aromaticity concept.

Neural Networks as a Tool To Classify Compounds According to Aromaticity Criteria

Aromaticity is a fundamental concept in chemistry, with many theoretical and practical implications. Although most organic compounds can be categorized as aromatic, non-aromatic, or antiaromatic, it is often difficult to classify borderline compounds as well as to quantify this property. Many aromaticity criteria have been proposed, although none of them gives an entirely satisfactory solution. The inability to fully arrange organic compounds according to a single criterion arises from the fact that aromaticity is a multidimensional phenomenon. Neural networks are computational techniques that allow one to treat a large amount of data, thereby reducing the dimensionality of the input set to a bidimensional output. We present the successful applications of Kohonen's self-organizing maps to classify organic compounds according to aromaticity criteria, showing a good correlation between the aromaticity of a compound and its placement in a particular neuron. Although the input data for the training of the network were different aromaticity criteria (stabilization energy, diamagnetic susceptibility, NICS, NICS(1), and HOMA) for five-membered heterocycles, the method can be extended to other organic compounds. Some useful features of this method are: 1) it is very fast, requiring less than one minute of computational time to place a new compound in the map; 2) the placement of the different compounds in the map is conveniently visualized; 3) the position of a compound in the map depends on its aromatic character, thus allowing us to establish a quantitative scale of aromaticity, based on Euclidean distances between neurons, 4) it has predictive power. Overall, the results reported herein constitute a significant contribution to the longstanding debate on the quantitative treatment of aromaticity.

Density Functional Study of 2-[(R-Phenyl)amine]-1,4-naphthalenediones

The molecular and electronic structures of a series of 2-[(R-phenyl)amine]-1,4-naphthalenediones (R = m-Me, p-Me, m-Et, p-CF3, p-Hex, p-Et, m-F, m-Cl, p-OMe, p-COMe, p-Bu, m-COOH, p-Cl, p-COOH, p-Br, m-NO2, m-CN, and p-NO2) and their anions are investigated in the framework of density functional theory. The calculations are of all-electron type using a double zeta valence polarization basis set optimized for density functional theory methods. The theoretical study shows that all compounds are nonplanar. The nonplanarity can be rationalized in terms of occupied π orbitals. A linear correlation between the measured half-wave potentials and the calculated gas-phase electron affinities is found. It holds for local as well as generalized gradient corrected functionals. Structural parameters, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and adiabatic and vertical electron affinities as well as orbital and spin density plots of the studied compounds are presented.

Aromaticity of Distorted Benzene Rings: Exploring the Validity of Different Indicators of Aromaticity

The effect of three in-plane (bond length alternation, bond length elongation, and clamping) and three out-of-plane deformations (boatlike, chairlike, and pyramidalization) on the aromaticity of the benzene molecule has been analyzed employing seven widely used indicators of aromaticity. It is shown that only the aromatic fluctuation index (FLU) is able to indicate the expected loss of aromaticity because of distortion from the equilibrium geometry in all deformations analyzed. As FLU has been shown previously to fail in other particular situations, we conclude that there is not yet a single indicator of aromaticity that works properly for all cases. Therefore, to reach safer conclusions, aromaticity analyses should be carried out employing a set of aromaticity descriptors on the basis of different physical manifestations of aromaticity.

Long-Distance Structural Consequences of H-Bonding. How H-Bonding Affects Aromaticity of the Ring in Variously Substituted Aniline/Anilinium/Anilide Complexes with Bases and Acids

The aromaticity of the ring in variously substituted aniline/anilinium/anilide derivatives in their H-bonded complexes with various Broensted acids and bases was a subject of an analysis based on 332 experimental geometries retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database and geometries optimized at the B3LYP/6-311+G** and MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ levels of theory. Ab initio modeling was applied to the para-substituted aniline, anilinium cation, and anilide anion derivatives (X = NO, NO2, CN, CHO, H, CH3, OCH3, and OH) and their H-bonded complexes (only for X = NO, NO2, CHO, H, and OH) with B (B = F- and CN-) or HB (HB = HF and HCN). In both cases, the harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity index (HOMA) was used, whereas for computational geometries, additionally, the magnetism-based indices NICS, NICS(1), and NICS(1)zz were also applied (NICS = nucleus-independent chemical shift). There is an equivalent prediction of aromaticity by NICSs and HOMA and approximate monotonic dependences of HOMA and NICS on the C-N bond length. The strongest changes in aromaticity estimated by HOMA and NICSs were found for aniline derivatives with NH2...B and anilide derivatives without and with NH-...HB interactions. The changes observed for two other kinds of interactions, NH2...HB and NH3+...base (for anilinium cations), are much smaller. For all four kinds of interactions, the relationships between ipso-bond angle, mean ipso-ortho bond length, and C-N bond length follow the Bent-Walsh rule.

Estimation of intramolecular hydrogen bond energy via molecular tailoring approach

A novel method, based on the molecular tailoring approach for estimating intramolecular hydrogen bond energies, is proposed. Here, as a case study, the O-H...O bond energy is directly estimated by addition/subtraction of the single point individual fragment energies. This method is tested on polyhydroxy molecules at MP2 and B3LYP levels of theory. It is seen to be able to distinguish between weak ( approximately 1 kcal mol(-1)) and moderately strong ( approximately 5 kcal mol(-1)) hydrogen bonds in polyhydroxy molecules.

The Phenalenyl Motif: A Magnetic Chameleon

The 12pi cation (3) and 14pi anion (4) derived from the phenalenyl radical (2) support diatropic ("aromatic") perimeter ring currents, but isoelectronic replacement of the central atom by either boron (5) or nitrogen (6) leads to paratropic ("antiaromatic") current; the ipsocentric approach to molecular magnetic response accounts for all four patterns in terms of competition between translationally and rotationally allowed virtual pi-pi* excitations.

A Toxicity Evaluation and Predictive System Based on Neural Networks and Wavelets

A computational approach has been developed for performing efficient and reasonably accurate toxicity evaluation and prediction. The approach is based on computational neural networks linked to modern computational chemistry and wavelet methods. In this paper, we present details of this approach and results demonstrating its accuracy and flexibility for predicting diverse biological endpoints including metabolic processes, mode of action, and hepato- and neurotoxicity. The approach also can be used for automatic processing of microarray data to predict modes of action.

Theoretical Studies on Graphyne Substructures: Geometry, Aromaticity, and Electronic Properties of the Multiply Fused Dehydrobenzo[12]annulenes

The geometries of multiply fused dehydrobenzo[12]annulenes [12]DBAs 2-7 with various topologies, which are considered as graphyne fragments, have been optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. Most of the optimized geometries of fused DBAs have planar structures excluding a boomerang-shaped bisDBA 4, a trefoil-shaped trisDBA 6, and a wheel-shaped DBA 7. For the boomerang-shaped bisDBA 4 and the trefoil-shaped trisDBA 6, distortions originate from the steric repulsion between hydrogen atoms attached to adjacent benzene rings. The harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) values at the central benzene ring of multiply fused DBAs decrease as the number of fused 12-membered rings increases except for the closely related structures 4 and 5 and 6 and 7, because of bond length elongation due to conjugation with the phenylethynyl groups. Nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) were computed at the individual ring centers of the fused DBAs. The fusion of the antiaromatic 12-membered rings results in increasing (more positive) NICS values at the central benzene ring, indicating the decrease of diatropic ring currents. Furthermore, HOMO-LUMO gaps of the DBAs 2-7 are strongly influenced by the molecular topology. The para-conjugation pathway of the bis(phenylethynyl)benzene unit plays a more important role in the determination of the electronic properties of multiply fused DBAs than the meta- and ortho-conjugation pathways.

The aromatic fluctuation index (FLU): a new aromaticity index based on electron delocalization

In this work, the aromatic fluctuation index (FLU) that describes the fluctuation of electronic charge between adjacent atoms in a given ring is introduced as a new aromaticity measure. This new electronic criterion of aromaticity is based on the fact that aromaticity is related to the cyclic delocalized circulation of pi electrons. It is defined not only considering the amount of electron sharing between contiguous atoms, which should be substantial in aromatic molecules, but also taking into account the similarity of electron sharing between adjacent atoms. For a series of rings in 15 planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, we have found that, in general, FLU is strongly correlated with other widely used indicators of local aromaticity, such as the harmonic-oscillator model of aromaticity, the nucleus independent chemical shift, and the para-delocalization index (PDI). In contrast to PDI, the FLU index can be applied to study the aromaticity of rings with any number of members and it can be used to analyze both the local and global aromatic character of rings and molecules.

22-Hydroxybenziporphyrin: Switching of Antiaromaticity by Phenol−Keto Tautomerization

22-hydroxybenziporphyrin, a porphyrin analogue containing a phenol moiety, has been shown to exist as an equilibrium mixture of two distinctly different tautomers. One of them actually contains the hydroxy group and shows the local [6]annulene aromaticity in the phenol fragment. The other tautomer contains a keto group and exhibits a [20]annulenoid structure characterized by macrocyclic antiaromaticity. The tautomerization process has been investigated in detail using variable-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy. The process is very fast, with an estimated activation energy of ca. 30 kJ/mol. Further insight into the energetics of the tautomerization is obtained from density functional (DFT) calculations. Surprisingly, the estimated energy of the antiaromatic keto species is 3-5 kcal/mol lower than the energy of the phenolic tautomer. The geometric and magnetic manifestations of aromaticity and antiaromaticity in the two tautomers are probed using a number of computational devices, including Wiberg bond indices, resonace weights derived from the harmonic oscillator model, and nucleus-independent chemical shifts. It is shown that mixing of phenolic and keto contributions in both tautomers is stronger than that in related tautomers of phenol. This effect is caused by extensive conjugation with the tripyrrolic unit of 22-hydroxybenziporphyrin and, to a lesser extent, by intramolecular hydrogen bonding.

Origin of the Nonplanarity of Tetrafluoro Cyclobutadiene, C4F4

Density functional theory as well as Møller-Plesset investigations has been carried out on tetrafluoro cyclobutadiene, C4F4, to explore the origin of its nonplanarity. Although Petersson et al. (Petersson, E. J.; Fanuele, J. C.; Nimlos, M. R.; Lemal, D. M.; Ellison, G. B.; Radziszewski, J. G. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 11122-11123) had earlier predicted a nonplanar geometry of this compound on the basis of spectral and bond orbital analysis, the explanation of the same from a more fundamental point of view is still missing. In the present study, we provide a heuristic explanation for the origin of nonplanarity of C4F4. The two major driving forces behind this nonplanar geometry are the unusual aromaticity of this cyclic homoatomic 4pi electron system and the second-order Jahn-Teller effect (SOJTE). These driving forces can well be explained by various energy and density parameters and also by nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values. Aromaticity of a cyclic homoatomic 4pi electron system is quite remarkable. The enhancement of pi- delocalization as evidenced from molecular orbital analysis may be attributed to s-ppi mixing in nonplanar C4F4.

Computation of through-space NMR shielding effects by small-ring aromatic and antiaromatic hydrocarbons

The GIAO-HF method in Gaussian 03 was employed to calculate the isotropic NMR shielding values of a diatomic hydrogen probe above simple small-ring aromatic and antiaromatic hydrocarbons, including neutral and ionic examples. Subtraction of the isotropic shielding of diatomic hydrogen by itself allowed the prediction of through-space proton NMR shielding increment surfaces for these systems. Substantial shielding was observed above the center of aromatic rings, regardless of whether the ring was pi-aromatic or sigma-aromatic, and also regardless of the charge. In sharp contrast, deshielding was observed above the center of antiaromatic rings, regardless of whether the ring was pi-aromatic or sigma-aromatic, and also regardless of the charge. Shielding increment values at 2.5 angstrom above the ring centers were compared to NICS values at the same position. The shielding effects predicted by using diatomic hydrogen as a computational probe are diagnostic of whether a structure possesses aromaticity or antiaromaticity.

Which NICS aromaticity index for planar pi rings is best?

Five increasingly sophisticated aromaticity indexes, based on nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS), were evaluated against a uniform set of aromatic stabilization energies (ASE) for 75 mono- and polyheterocyclic five-membered rings. While acceptable statistical correlations were given by all of the NICS methods, the most fundamentally grounded index, NICS(0)pizz (based on the pi contribution to the out-of-plane zz tensor component), performed best statistically (cc=0.980) and in practice. The easily computable NICS(1)zz index is a useful alternative (cc=0.968).

Anions and Polyanions of Oligoindenopyrenes: Modes of Electron Delocalization and Dimerization

A series of pyrene-based polycyclic aromatic compounds, indeno[cd]pyrene, diindeno[cd,fg]pyrene, diindeno[cd,jk]pyrene, tris-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk])pyrene, and tetrakis-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk,mn])pyrene, were reduced with alkali metals in [D8]tetrahydrofuran, and the resulting anions were studied by NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the diatropic character of the dianions obtained depends on the number of annulated indeno groups. When one such group is present, a paratropic dianion is obtained, which is similar to the dianion of the parent pyrene; the effect, however, is weak. When more indeno groups are annulated, the dianions become diatropic owing to the greater number of five-membered rings that can acquire aromatic character as a result of reduction. The 1H NMR chemical shifts of tetrakis-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk,mn])pyrene in the neutral state show an interesting dependence on concentration that reflects an association of the molecules in solution by pi stacking. This phenomenon was not observed for the reduced species. The trianion radicals of tris-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk])pyrene and tetrakis-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk,mn])pyrene undergo reductive dimerization and form bilayered hexaanions.

Local Aromaticity in Natural Nucleobases and Their Size-Expanded Benzo-Fused Derivatives

The influence of the insertion/addition of a benzene ring to the natural nucleic acid bases on the local aromaticity of the so-called size-expanded (xN, with N being adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) bases is examined. To this end, the local aromaticity of the six- and five-membered rings in both the natural bases and their benzoderivatives is determined using HOMA, NICS, aromatic fluctuation index (FLU), and para-delocalization index (PDI) descriptors. In general, there is a good correspondence between the different indices, so that ring moieties with more negative NICS values also have larger HOMA and PDI measures and lower FLU indices. The results also point out notable differences in the aromatic character of the natural and size-expanded bases, which generally are hardly affected upon hydrogen bonding. The differences in the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gap determined for the size-expanded nucleobases show an inverse correlation with the aromaticity of the fused benzene ring, so that the larger the HOMO-LUMO gap is, the lower the destabilization experienced by the benzene upon insertion/addition to the natural bases. This finding suggests that the introduction of suitable chemical modifications in the benzene ring might be useful to modulate the HOMO-LUMO gap while enabling the design of modified DNA duplexes that are able to act as molecular wires.

Super-Delocalized Valence Isomer of Coronene

Coronene (1) has been proposed to be "superaromatic", but energetic, geometric, and magnetic criteria of global and local aromaticity fail to support this proposal, and indeed, the calculated current-density map shows opposition of currents: diatropic on the 18-carbon rim and paratropic on the 6-carbon hub. However, [7,5,7,5,7,5]-isocoronene (2) ([7,5,7,5,7,5:6]-circulene, or isocoronene, for short), which is a valence isomer in which alternate pentagons and heptagons replace the hexagons surrounding the central ring, is predicted to have a single, unopposed, intense diatropic perimeter current arising from its four pi HOMO electrons, such as in the ipsocentric description of classically aromatic [4n + 2]-annulenes, hence, qualifying 2 as superaromatic on the magnetic criterion. This conclusion is in excellent agreement with anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (359 cgs-ppm for isocoronene vs 247 cgs-ppm for coronene) and exaltation of magnetic susceptibility (isocoronene exceeds coronene by 51.4 cgs-ppm). Central and perimeter bond lengths suggest an increased aromaticity of isocoronene. In contrast, the energetic criterion shows that isocoronene is destabilized with respect to coronene by ca. 105 kcal/mol of which only ca. 30 kcal/mol can be attributed to differential strain.

Clar's Sextet Rule Is a Consequence of the σ-Electron Framework

A number of condensed PAHs are examined to identify the underlying reasons governing empirical Clar's rule taking benzene as a limiting case. It is found that the so-called Clar's structures are the only minima on the MP2(fc) potential energy hypersurfaces, meaning that other conceivable valence isomers are nonexistent. The influence of the electron correlation energies to the stability of Clar's structures is substantial with predominating influence of the sigma-electrons. However, the contributions arising from the sigma- and pi-electron correlation energies are approximately the same, if Clar's structures are compared with some artificial pi-electron localized or graphite-like delocalized planar systems. Analysis of the Hartree-Fock (HF) energies provides a compelling evidence that the origin of stability of Clar's structures lies in a decrease of the positive T, V(ee) and V(nn) energy terms relative to some characteristic virtual "delocalized" or "localized" model geometries. Partitioning of the mixed and terms in the sigma- and pi-type contributions, by using the stockholder (SHR), equipartitioning (EQP) and standard pi (SPI) schemes, unequivocally shows that the driving force leading to Clar's structures are more favorable sigma-type interactions. All these conclusions hold for the archetypal benzene too, which could be considered as a limiting Clar system. Finally, the boundaries of Clar's hypothesis and some common misconceptions are briefly discussed. Perusal of the geometric parameters and pi-bond orders reveals that there are no benzene rings completely "vacant" or "fully occupied" by the pi-electrons, envisaged by Clar in his picture of condensed benzenoid compounds. Instead, there are six-membered rings with higher and lower total pi-electron density. The bond length anisotropy of the former rings is smaller. It is concluded that Clar's proposition is a useful rule of thumb providing qualitative information on the stability of the PAH systems, which in turn should not be overinterpreted.

Aromaticity of Giant Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Hollow Sites: Super Ring Currents in Super-Rings

We present a systematic theoretical study based on semi-empirical, Hartree-Fock (HF), and density functional theory (DFT) models of a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that exhibit hollow sites. In this study we focus particularly on the magnetic criteria of aromaticity, namely (1)H NMR and nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS), and on their relationships with other electronic properties. The computed shifts and NICS indices indicate that an external magnetic field induces exceptionally strong ring currents in even-layered PAH doughnuts, in particular in the layer directly adjacent to the central hole of double-layered compounds. These exceptionally strong ring currents also correlate with particularly small HOMO-LUMO gaps and electronic excitation energies and to abnormally high polarizabilities, indicating in turn that these compounds have a more pronounced metallic character. Comparison is made with further depictions of aromaticity in these systems and in [18]-[66]annulene rings by employing topological, structural, and energetic criteria.

Total carbo-Mer of Benzene, Its carbo-Trannulene Form, and the Zigzag Nanotube Thereof

The total carbo-mer of benzene, hexaethynyl carbo-benzene C30H6, has been calculated at the B3PW91/6-31G** level. Its geometrical and magnetic characteristics are compared with those of the C18H6 partial carbo-mers, unsubstituted carbo-benzene, and hexaethynylbenzene. The carbo-[6]trannulene isomer is found to exist as a minimum on the singlet spin state potential energy surface (PES) and is 65.6 kcal.mol(-1) higher in energy than hexaethynyl-carbo-benzene. In the former, a strong cyclic electron delocalization is evidenced from the root-mean-square deviation (rms) of the ring bond lengths and the NICS value computed at the centroid of the trannulene ring. As an alternative to the graphene sheet wrapping process traditionally used to illustrate the construction of carbon nanotubes, a dehydrocoupling-stacking process is invoked for the construction of zigzag nanotubes from trannulene bricks. The process is applied to the carbo-[6]trannulene brick to generate a novel type of acetylene-expanded carbon nanotube, which is a polymer of primitive C60 segments. A C60H6 carbo-meric equivalent of a cyclacene belt is first considered. Two such segments are then formally dehydrocoupled to generate a cylindrical (C60)2H6 molecule, the central part of which is assumed to be a relevant model for the infinite nanotube. Axial and sectional electron delocalization inside the tube models is discussed on the basis of bond length analysis, NICS values, pi MO analysis, and singlet-triplet state energy gap. The capping of the C120 cyclinder is finally addressed by use of carbo-[3]radialenic units.

Synthesis and Properties of the First Möbius Annulenes

Heilbronner in 1964 predicted that annulenes with ".. a planar perimeter of N=4r AO's, which would yield an open shell configuration when occupied by 4r electrons, can be twisted into a closed shell Möbius strip perimeter without loss in pi electron energy". We have been able to synthesize the first [4n]annulene with such a Möbius topology and now present further Möbius isomers and the details of their preparation as stable compounds. To address the question whether the twist in the pi system has an effect on the properties we systematically investigate energy, geometry and magnetic parameters of a large number isomers of [16]annulenes. The Möbius twisted annulenes are consistently more aromatic than the non-twisted isomers. This is true for the parent as well as our benzoannelated systems. Our results are in contrast to those published recently by C. Castro, W. L. Karney, P. von R. Schleyer et al.

Recent Advances in Metallabenzene Chemistry

Research into aromatic metallacycles, though discussed in the literature over the last quarter century, has undergone a major expansion since 2000. A wide variety of new metallabenzenes, encompassing new synthetic methods and new metal centers, is now available. New aromatic metallacycle topologies (iridanaphthalene, osmabenzynes) have been isolated and characterized. The first metallabenzene valence isomers (iridabenzvalenes, rhodabenzvalenes) and constitutional isomers (isoosmabenzenes) are now known. This review discusses the synthesis, chemistry, and physical properties of these intriguing aromatic compounds.