Aromatic changes in isoelectronic derivatives of phenalenyl radicals by central carbon replacement

A computational study of the aromatic characteristics of phenalenyl (PLY) upon replacement of the central carbon atom by Si, Ge, N, P, As, B, Al and Ga atoms comprising isoelectronic series with different charges (0, +1, -1) has been performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level. Two different geometries have been obtained, one planar and another one bowl-shaped. PLY derivatives exhibit a loss of the aromatic character in all cases indicated by NICS (Nucleus-Independent Chemical Shifts) values. These aromatic features are also in agreement with the pyramidalisation undergone by the central atom. The current density maps for those planar systems corroborate NICS findings. These variations in the aromaticity have been rationalised in terms of charge localisation. Harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) and para-delocalisation indices (PDI) have been used to evaluate the electron density delocalisation. HOMA values do not correlate with NICS but PDI indices follow the same trend than NICS. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.