Oxidation Products of Doubly Trimethylene-Bridged Tetrabenzyl p-Phenylenediamine Paracyclophane

We report synthesis and investigation of doubly trimethylene-bridged tetrabenzyl-p-phenylenediamine 1(Bz) in its singly and doubly charged redox states. The singly oxidized monoradical cation, which is a mixed-valence (MV) with directly interacting charge-bearing units, shows broad and solvent-sensitive intervalence bands consistent with class II compounds according to the Robin Day classification. The doubly oxidized diradical dication of 1(Bz) exists in the spin-paired singlet state with thermally accessible triplet state. It has similar conformations as the other dimeric p-phenylenediamines, such as derivatives l(Me) and 1(Et), in both the solid-state and solution phases. The successful isolation of the single-crystalline 1(Bz)(2+) diradical dications with two different in nature counteranions, relatively highly coordinating SbF6- and weakly coordinating carborane [undecamethylcarborane HCB11Me11-(CB-)] reveals the distinct effect of the nature of counterions on the structural features of diradical dication. Cyclic voltammetry measurements of 1(Bz) in dichloromethane reveal separation of the first and second oxidation potential by 0.12 V (2.8 kcal/mol), indicating relatively stable mixed-valence state in the dichloromethane, whereas in the acetonitrile both the first and second oxidation potentials overlap into one unresolved redox peak with minimal separation.