Unified Description of the Jahn-Teller Effect in Molecules with Only Cs Symmetry: Cyclohexoxy in Its Full 48-Dimensional Internal Coordinates

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Derived 1,3,5-Trimethylenebenzene: On-Surface Synthesis and Electronic Structure

1,3,5-Trimethylenebenzene (1,3,5-TMB), a 3-fold-symmetric triradical with a high-spin ground state, is an attractive platform for investigating the unique spin properties of π-conjugated triangular triradicals. Here, we report the on-surface synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-derived 1,3,5-TMB (N-TMB) via surface-assisted C-C and C-N coupling reactions on Au(111). The chemical and electronic structures of N-TMB on the Au(111) surface are revealed with atomic precision using scanning tunneling microscopy and noncontact atomic force microscopy, combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is demonstrated that there is substantial charge transfer between N-TMB and the substrate, resulting in a positively charged N-TMB on Au(111). DFT calculations at the UB3LYP/def2-TZVP level of theory and multireference method, e.g., CASSCF/NEVPT2, indicate that N-TMB possesses a doublet ground state with reduced Cs symmetry in the gas phase, contrasting the quartet ground state of 1,3,5-TMB with D3h symmetry, and exhibits a doublet-quartet energy gap of -0.80 eV. The incorporation of NHC structures and the extended π-conjugation promote the spin-orbital overlaps in N-TMB, leading to Jahn-Teller distortion and the formation of a robust doublet state. Our results not only demonstrate the fabrication of polyradicals based on NHC but also shed light on the effect of NHC and π-conjugation on the electronic structure and spin coupling, which opens up new possibilities for precisely regulating the spin-spin exchange coupling of organic polyradicals.

CH3O Substitution Effect Revisited in the Vibrationally Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectra of Methoxycyclohexoxy Radicals

The oxy-substituted alkoxy radicals have attracted wide attention due to the increasing application of oxygenated volatile organic compounds as fuel additives and solvents. Direct detection of these intermediate radicals is desired for measuring the reaction rate and investigating the oxidation mechanism of organic compounds in the atmosphere. A charge-transfer excited state induced by CH3O substitution was identified in our previous study of 3-methoxy-1-propoxy radical [Xue, J. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, 23, 2586]. As the C-C bonds of chain alkoxy radicals can freely rotate, further studies are needed to understand the mechanism of this long-range charge-transfer effect. In this work, vibrational-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra of 3- and 4-methoxycyclohexoxy radicals were obtained under jet-cooled conditions. A large red-shift of ∼454 cm-1 of the origin band was observed when the CH3O substituent moved from the δ site to the γ site of the cyclohexoxy radical. The LIF spectra are assigned to 3-cis (e, e) and 4-trans (e, e) conformers, respectively, with the assistance of structural optimization and electron excitation studies conducted at the CAM-B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. Natural transition orbital analysis reveals that the intramolecular charge transfer from the C-O-C p orbital to the radical O p orbital in 3-methoxycyclohexoxy has a strong effect on the radical CO σ → O p excitation and hence results in a spectral change. On the other hand, the spectral effect of CH3O substitution almost vanishes at δ carbon. The results propose a through-bond interaction between CH3O and radical CO groups.

A combined experimental and computational study on the transition of the calcium isopropoxide radical as a candidate for direct laser cooling

Vibronically resolved laser-induced fluorescence/dispersed fluorescence (LIF/DF) and cavity ring-down (CRD) spectra of the electronic transition of the calcium isopropoxide [CaOCH(CH₃)₂] radical have been obtained under jet-cooled conditions. An essentially constant energy separation of 68 cm^-1 has been observed for the vibrational ground levels and all fundamental vibrational levels accessed in the LIF measurement. To simulate the experimental spectra and assign the recorded vibronic bands, Franck-Condon (FC) factors and vibrational branching ratios (VBRs) are predicted from vibrational modes and their frequencies calculated using the complete-active-space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) methods. Combined with the calculated electronic transition energy, the computational results, especially those from the EOM-CCSD calculations, reproduced the experimental spectra with considerable accuracy. The experimental and computational results suggest that the FC matrix for the studied electronic transition is largely diagonal, but transitions from the vibrationless levels of the à state to the X̃-state levels of the CCC bending (ν₁₄ and ν₁₅), CaO stretch (ν₁₃), and CaOC asymmetric stretch (ν₉ and ν₁₁) modes also have considerable intensities. Transitions to low-frequency in-plane [ν₁₇(a')] and out-of-plane [ν₃₀(a'')] CaOC bending modes were observed in the experimental LIF/DF spectra, the latter being FC-forbidden but induced by the pseudo-Jahn-Teller (pJT) effect. Both bending modes are coupled to the CaOC asymmetric stretch mode via the Duschinsky rotation, as demonstrated in the DF spectra obtained by pumping non-origin vibronic transitions. The pJT interaction also induces transitions to the ground-state vibrational level of the ν₁₀(a') mode, which has the CaOC bending character. Our combined experimental and computational results provide critical information for future direct laser cooling of the target molecule and other alkaline earth monoalkoxide radicals.