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A new strategy is demonstrated for the synthesis of warped, negatively curved, all‐sp2‐carbon π‐scaffolds. Multifold C−C coupling reactions are used to transform a polyaromatic borinic acid into a saddle‐shaped polyaromatic hydrocarbon (2) bearing two heptagonal rings. Notably, this Schwarzite substructure is synthesized in only two steps from an unfunctionalized alkene. A highly warped structure of 2 was revealed by X‐ray crystallographic studies and pronounced flexibility of this π‐scaffold was ascertained by experimental and computational studies. Compound 2 exhibits excellent solubility, visible range absorption and fluorescence, and readily undergoes two reversible one‐electron oxidations at mild potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the one-pot synthesis of an electron-poor nanographene containing dicarboximide groups at the corners. We efficiently combined palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling and dehydrohalogenation to synthesize an extended two-dimensional π-scaffold of defined size in a single chemical operation starting from N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-4,5-dibromo-1,8-naphthalimide and a tetrasubstituted pyrene boronic acid ester as readily accessible starting materials. The reaction of these precursors under the conditions commonly used for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling afforded a C64 nanographene through the formation of ten C−C bonds in a one-pot process. Single-crystal X-ray analysis unequivocally confirmed the structure of this unique extended aromatic molecule with a planar geometry. The optical and electrochemical properties of this largest ever synthesized planar electron-poor nanographene skeleton were also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unexpected introduction of a cationic imidazolium substituent in the 2-position of a tetrachloro-substituted perylene-3,4:9,10-tetracarboxylic acid bisimide (PBI) by the reaction of PBI-Cl4 1 with the N-heterocyclic carbene 1,3-di-iso-propyl-imidazolin-2-ylidene (iPr2Im 2) enables the isolation of an ambient stable zwitterionic radical. The remarkable stability of this unprecedented PBI-centered radical facilitates the complete characterization by several spectroscopic methods as well as single crystal structure analysis. Redox studies revealed that iPr2Im-PBI-Cl4 4 can be transferred reversibly to the corresponding anion and cation, respectively, even on a preparative scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]