On the biradicaloid nature of long quinoidal oligothiophenes: experimental evidence guided by theoretical studies.

UV–Vis, IR, Raman and theoretical characterization of a novel quinoid oligothiophene molecular material

A quinoid-type oligothiophene, 3 0 ,4 0 -dibutyl-5,5 00 -bis(dicyanomethylene)-5,5 00 -dihidro-2,2 0 :5 0 ,2 00 -terthiophene, which can be viewed as an analog of TCNQ, has been investigated by spectroelectrochemistry and density functional theory calculations, in its neutral and dianionic states. Electrochemical data show that the molecule can be both reduced and oxidized at relatively low potentials. Upon reduction, both experiments and theory agree well with the generation of a dianionic charged species. The model shows that the electronic structure of the dianion is consistent with two anionic dicyanomethylene groups attached to a central terthienyl spine having an aromatic structure. T…

Neutral and oxidized triisopropylsilyl end-capped oligothienoacenes: a combined electrochemical, spectroscopic, and theoretical study.

This work presents an analy- sis of the structural, electrochemical, and optical properties of a family of triisopropylsilyl end-capped oligothie- noacenes (TIPS-Tn-TIPS, n = 4-8) by combining cyclic voltammetry, spectro- scopic techniques, and quantum-chemi- cal calculations. TIPS-Tn-TIPS com- pounds form stable radical cations, and dications are only obtained for the lon- gest oligomers (n = 7 and 8). Oxidation leads to the quinoidization of the con- jugated backbone, from which elec- trons are mainly extracted. The absorp- tion and fluorescence spectra show par- tially resolved vibronic structures even at room temperature, due to the rigid molecular geometry. Two well-resolved vibronic p…

Spectroscopic and theoretical study of the molecular and electronic structures of a terthiophene-based quinodimethane.

The UV/Vis, infrared absorption, and Raman scattering spectra of 3',4'-dibutyl-5,5"-bis(dicyanomethylene)-5,5"-dihydro-2,2':5',2"-terthiophene have been analyzed with the aid of density functional theory calculations. The compound exhibits a quinoid structure in its ground electronic state and presents an intramolecular charge transfer from the terthiophene moiety to the C(CN)2 groups. The molecular system therefore consists of an electron-deficient terthiophene backbone end-capped with electron-rich C(CN)2 groups. The molecule is characterized by a strong absorption in the red, due to the HOMO-->LUMO pi-pi* electronic transition of the terthiophene backbone that shifts hypsochromically on …

Theoretical description of the Raman spectrum of a vinylene-bridged quaterthiophene oligomer

The Raman spectrum of a quaterthiophene oligomer incorporating a central vinylene spacer has been investigated using density functional theory B3LYP/6-31G** calculations. The spectrum has been fully assigned with the aid of the calculations and in comparison with unsubstituted quaterthiophene. The spectrum preserves most of the vibrational features of linear oligothiophenes. The vibrations of the vinylene spacer are clearly differentiated from those of the rest of the chain. The vinylene spacer increases the conjugation length of the molecule and induces a frequency downshift of < 20 cm 21 for the normal modes associated with the nas(CyC) and ns(CyC) vibrations of the thiophene rings. The m…

Spectroscopic and theoretical study of push-pull chromophores containing thiophene-based quinonoid structures as electron spacers

Donor−acceptor chromophores containing three different types of thiophene-based electron spacers and the same donor (1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene) and acceptor (dicyanomethylene) end groups have been investigated by infrared and vis-near-IR absorption spectroscopies with the aim of elucidating the ability of the heteroquinonoid spacers as electron transmitters. Density functional theory calculations have been carried out, both within the standard and the time-dependent formalisms, to assign the most relevant electronic and infrared features of these chromophores and to assess useful information about their molecular structures. Both theoretical calculations and vibrational spectra demonstrate the …

FT Raman and DFT Study on a Series of All-antiOligothienoacenes End-Capped with Triisopropylsilyl Groups

minal a positions. These substituents aid in purification and solution processability, and can be removed under mild chemical conditions. For the first time, we have the opportunity to analyze a series of oligothienoacenes to gain insight into the fundamental structure–property relationships with respect to the addition of each ring. Furthermore, this series of compounds can be directly compared to other well-studied series of closely related oligomers, such as nonfused oligothiophenes and fully fused all-syn oligothienoacenes. [7] To gain precise insight into relationships between the structure and properties of a wide range of p-conjugated molecular Herein, we study the p-conjugational pr…

Magnetic Properties of Quinoidal Oligothiophenes: More Than Good Candidates for Ambipolar Organic Semiconductors?

A series of quinoidal oligothiophenes have been investigated by means of solid-state Fourier-transform (FT)-Raman and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopies complemented with density functional theory calculations. FT-Raman spectra recorded as a function of temperature show that, upon laser irradiation, the molecules undergo a reversible structural evolution from a quinoid-type pattern at low temperature to an aromatic-type pattern at high temperature. Moreover, ESR spectra show that a portion of these compounds exists in a biradical state at room temperature. These seemingly disconnected findings and others, such as conformational isomerism, are consistently explained by the consider…

Raman and theoretical study of the solvent effects on the sizable intramolecular charge transfer in the push-pull 5-(dimethylamino)-5'-nitro-2,2'-bithiophene.

In this paper, we analyze the degree of intramolecular charge transfer in a push-pull π-conjugated system, 5-(dimethylamino)-5'-nitro-2,2'-bithiophene, from changes in frequencies and relative intensities of its strongestRaman scatterings in a bunch of solvents with different polarities. Density functional theory (DFT) was used as a support of the experimental study. Solvent effects on the molecular and electronic structures and on the vibrational properties were estimated by performing B3LYP/6-31G** calculations within the framework of the polarized continuum model (PCM) developed by Tomasi. Calculations reveal that the molecule is highly polarized in the ground state and behaves as a very…

Quinoidal oligothiophenes: towards biradical ground-state species.

A family of quinoidal oligothiophenes, from the dimer to the hexamer, with fused bis(butoxymethyl)cyclopentane groups has been extensively investigated by means of electronic and vibrational spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements, and density functional calculations. The latter predict that the electronic ground state always corresponds to a singlet state and that, for the longest oligomers, this state has biradical character that increases with increasing oligomer length. The shortest oligomers display closed-shell quinoidal structures. Calculations also predict the existence of very low energy excited triplet states that can be populated at room temperature. Aromatization of the conju…

Carbonyl-functionalized quaterthiophenes: a study of the vibrational Raman and electronic absorption/emission properties guided by theoretical calculations.

This work investigates the evolution of the molecular, vibrational, and optical properties within a family of carbonyl-functionalized quaterthiophenes: 5,5'''-diheptanoyl-2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophene (1), 5,5'''-diperfluorohexylcarbonyl-2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophene (2), and 2,7-[bis(5-perfluorohexylcarbonylthien-2-yl)]-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']-dithiophene-4-one (3). The analysis is performed by Raman and UV/Vis absorption/excitation/fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with density functional calculations. Theoretical calculations show that substitution with carbonyl groups and perfluorohexyl chains induces progressive quinoidization of the π-conjugated backbone in co…