Analysis of a Compound Class with Triplet States Stabilized by Potentially Baird Aromatic [10]Annulenyl Dicationic Rings

The low-lying triplet state of a recently published compound (TMTQ) was analyzed quantum chemically in light of suggestions that it is influenced by Baird aromaticity. Two mesomeric structures describe this state: 1)a zwitterionic Baird aromatic structure with a triplet diradical 8-electron methano[10]annulene (M10A) dicationic ring and 2)a Huckel aromatic with a neutral closed-shell 10-electron ring. According to charge and spin density distributions, the Huckel aromatic structure dominates the triplet state (the Baird aromatic contributes at most 12%), and separation of the aromatic fluctuation index (FLU) into and electron contributions emphasizes this finding. The small singlet-triplet energy gap is due to Huckel aromaticity of the M10A ring, clarified by comparison to the smaller analogues of TMTQ. Yet, TMTQ and its analogues are Huckel-Baird hybrids allowing for tuning between closed-shell 4n+2 Huckel aromaticity and open-shell 4n Baird aromaticity.