Superaromatic Stabilization Energy as a Novel Local Aromaticity, Index for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Superaromatic stabilization energy (SSE), previously proposed by us, can be used as a novel local aromaticity index for benzene rings in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). SSE can be interpreted as the first local aromaticity index explicitly related to all relevant circuits in a polycyclic pi-system, an origin of local aromaticity, being free of local aromaticity arising from adjacent six-site circuits. Therefore, this quantity is best suited for characterizing the electronic structure of large pericondensed PAHs and graphene nanoflakes.