Issue 32, 2024

Analysis of bonding motifs in unusual molecules II: infinitene

Abstract

The bonding structures of infinitene, the Chemical and Engineering News 2021 Molecule of the Year, is studied by means of oriented quasi-atomic orbitals (QUAOs) to assess the degree of aromaticity within the molecule. It is found that the angularity introduced into infinitene when it takes on the helical shape of the infinity symbol has a profound effect on bond order, delocalization of bonding interactions, and the aromatic character of the system. In kekulene, a planar isomer of infinitene, the bonding analysis shows fluctuations of pocketed delocalization of bonding interactions in π-sextets associated with Clar's rule. Conversely, much smaller fluctuations are observed between the adjacent rings of infinitene. The observations drawn from the quasi-atomic bonding analysis support the idea that there is aromatic character across the entire infinitene molecule, not just localized around individual rings as in kekulene.

Graphical abstract: Analysis of bonding motifs in unusual molecules II: infinitene

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Apr 2024
Accepted
19 Jul 2024
First published
23 Jul 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024,26, 21407-21418

Analysis of bonding motifs in unusual molecules II: infinitene

K. N. Ferreras, T. Harville, D. Del Angel Cruz and M. S. Gordon, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024, 26, 21407 DOI: 10.1039/D4CP01802H

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