Stabilizing Indeno[1,2‐ <i>a</i> ]Fluorene: The Only Ferromagnetic Diradical of Indenofluorene Isomers

ABSTRACT Among five indenofluorene regioisomers, only indeno[1,2‐ a ]fluorene is predicted to be a triplet diradical but has eluded unambiguous structural identification due to inherent instability. Here, we report the solution synthesis of a stabilized indeno[1,2‐ a ]fluorene derivative showing long persistence in ambient air (half‐life of ca. 29 h in solution and around 30 days in the solid state), achieved by simultaneously introducing more steric‐hindering groups and strongly electron‐withdrawing substituents. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction confirms its planar polycyclic framework, with a substantial contribution from the benzenoid diradical resonance. Magnetic characterizations by continuous‐wave/pulsed EPR spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometry experimentally prove a triplet ground state with strong ferromagnetic coupling (Δ E S‐T ≥ 2.2 kcal/mol; J / k B ≥ 550 K). Meanwhile, the compactly distributed spin population endows the diradical with an unusually large and significantly rhombic zero‐field splitting ( D = –757 MHz, E = 102 MHz). Together with long spin relaxation times ( T 1 = 19.3 ms and T m = 3.09 µs at 10 K), such properties provide a promising basis for future low‐field clock‐transition and coherent spin‐manipulation studies. As importantly, IF‐NO 2 demonstrates how molecular design can effectively tune the persistence and magnetic properties of high‐spin organic radicals, offering a platform for further exploration in the molecular quantum and spintronic fields.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2026-07-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.8243188
Primary Topic
Magnetism in coordination complexes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Stabilizing Indeno[1,2‐ a ]Fluorene: The Only Ferromagnetic Diradical of Indenofluorene Isomers

Dahui Zhao, Shang‐Da Jiang, Xiao Yang, Guantao Yang et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Magnetism in coordination complexes
article

Stabilizing Indeno[1,2‐ a ]Fluorene: The Only Ferromagnetic Diradical of Indenofluorene Isomers

Dahui Zhao, Shang‐Da Jiang, Xiao Yang, Guantao Yang, Shen Zhou, Zhizhe Liu, Di Zhang, Qi Xiong, Zepeng Lu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Among five indenofluorene regioisomers, only indeno[1,2‐ a ]fluorene is predicted to be a triplet diradical but has eluded unambiguous structural identification due to inherent instability. Here, we report the solution synthesis of a stabilized indeno[1,2‐ a ]fluorene derivative showing long persistence in ambient air (half‐life of ca. 29 h in solution and around 30 days in the solid state), achieved by simultaneously introducing more steric‐hindering groups and strongly electron‐withdrawing substituents. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction confirms its planar polycyclic framework, with a substantial contribution from the benzenoid diradical resonance. Magnetic characterizations by continuous‐wave/pulsed EPR spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometry experimentally prove a triplet ground state with strong ferromagnetic coupling (Δ E S‐T ≥ 2.2 kcal/mol; J / k B ≥ 550 K). Meanwhile, the compactly distributed spin population endows the diradical with an unusually large and significantly rhombic zero‐field splitting ( D = –757 MHz, E = 102 MHz). Together with long spin relaxation times ( T 1 = 19.3 ms and T m = 3.09 µs at 10 K), such properties provide a promising basis for future low‐field clock‐transition and coherent spin‐manipulation studies. As importantly, IF‐NO 2 demonstrates how molecular design can effectively tune the persistence and magnetic properties of high‐spin organic radicals, offering a platform for further exploration in the molecular quantum and spintronic fields.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition
National University of Defense Technology (CN), Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HK), Institute of Molecular Functional Materials (CN), Ministry of Education (IR), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
Magnetism in coordination complexes
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