Unambiguous Identification of Möbius Aromaticity for <i>meso</i>-Aryl-Substituted [28]Hexaphyrins(1.1.1.1.1.1)

meso-Aryl-substituted [28]hexaphyrins(1.1.1.1.1.1) have been examined by 1H, 13C, and 19F NMR spectroscopies, UV−vis absorption spectroscopy, magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All of these data consistently indicate that [28]hexaphyrins(1.1.1.1.1.1) in solution at 25 °C exist largely as an equilibrium among several rapidly interconverting twisted Möbius conformations with distinct aromaticities, with a small contribution from a planar rectangular conformation with antiaromatic character at slightly higher energy. In the solid state, [28]hexaphyrins(1.1.1.1.1.1) take either planar or Möbius-twisted conformations, depending upon the meso-aryl substituents and crystallization conditions, indicating a small energy difference between the two conformers. Importantly, when the temperature is decreased to −100 °C in THF, these rapid interconversions among Möbius conformations are frozen, allowing the detection of a single [28]hexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1) species having a Möbius conformation. Detailed analyses of the solid-state Möbius structures of compounds 2b, 2c, and 2f showed that singly twisted structures are achieved without serious strain and that cyclic π-conjugation is well-preserved, as needed for exhibiting strong diatropic ring currents. Actually, the harmonic-oscillator model for aromaticity (HOMA) values of these structures are significantly large (0.85, 0.69, and 0.71, respectively), confirming the first demonstration of stable Möbius aromatic systems consisting of free-base expanded porphyrins without the assistance of metal coordination.