Pyrene-Fused s‑Indacene

One antiaromatic polycyclic hydrocarbon (PH) with and without solubilizing tert-butyl substituents, namely s-indaceno­[2,1-a:6,5-a′]­dipyrene (IDPs), has been synthesized by a four-step protocol. The IDPs represent the longitudinal, peri-extension of the indeno­[1,2-b]­fluorene skeleton towards a planar 40 π-electron system. Their structures were unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The optoelectronic properties were studied by UV/vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. These studies revealed that peri-fusion renders the IDP derivatives with a narrow optical energy gap of 1.8 eV. The maximum absorption of IDPs is shifted by 160 nm compared to the parent indenofluorene. Two quasi-reversible oxidation as well as reduction steps indicate an excellent redox behavior attributed to the antiaromatic core. Formation of the radical cation and the dication was monitored by UV/vis absorption spectroscopy during titration experiments. Notably, the fusion of s-indacene with two pyrene moieties lead to IDPs with absorption maxima approaching the near infrared (NIR) regime.