Inducing Radicality in Gold‐Coordinated Porphyrinoids Through Precise Tip‐Induced Covalent Bond Dissociation
π-Extended porphyrinoids are versatile platforms for the emerging field of π-electron magnetism in conjugated systems. However, achieving controlled bond-selective transformations that enable tuning of their electronic ground states remains a major challenge. Here, we propose a protocol for covalent bond dissociation in π-extended porphyrinoids at carbonitrile-Au substituents. By applying bias pulses with an STM tip positioned close to the molecule, the ligand can be selectively cleaved, resulting in chemisorption of the porphyrinoid onto the Au(111) surface. BR-STM provides structural insights into the bonding configurations before and after the scission, while STS in combination with DFT+CASCI calculations reveals the impact of the cleavage on the molecule's electronic properties. Whereas the intact molecule exhibits a closed-shell electronic structure, removal of the ligands induces a change in its electronic ground state, leading to the emergence of a Kondo resonance upon cleavage of the CN─Au ligands. In addition, DFT + vdW simulations show that carbonitrile─Au coordination weakens the carbon─carbon bond connecting the ligand to the molecular core, thereby facilitating its cleavage through tip-induced manipulation. Overall, these results provide insights into the bonding nature of the carbonitrile─Au interaction and demonstrate how the bond scission induces a transition from closed-shell to open-shell states.
Authors
- Koen Lauwaet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1024-6779)
- José Ignacio Urgel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7608-2979)
- Tomás Torres⊗ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9335-6935)
- Jesús I. Mendieta‐Moreno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8530-3315)
- Diego Soler‐Polo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9215-4151)
- Ana Barragán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2570-5018)
- Maxence Urbani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7733-6440)
- Shanmugasibi K. Mathialagan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2910-7429)
- Aurelio Gallardo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6544-7637)
- Sofía O. Parreiras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9009-1994)
- Lenka Černá (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5469-5028)
- David Écija (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8661-8295)
- José M. Gallego (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1716-0126)
- María Tenorio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0632-1636)
Institutions
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (ES)
- IMDEA Nanoscience (ES)
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ES)
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2026-10-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.4947314
- Primary Topic
- Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00