Synthesis of NBN-Type Zigzag-Edged Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: 1,9-Diaza-9a-boraphenalene as a Structural Motif

A novel class of dibenzo-fused 1,9-diaza-9a-boraphenalenes
featuring
zigzag edges with a nitrogen–boron–nitrogen bonding
pattern named NBN-dibenzophenalenes (NBN-DBPs) has been synthesized.
Alternating nitrogen and boron atoms impart high chemical stability
to these zigzag-edged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and
this motif even allows for postsynthetic modifications, as demonstrated
here through electrophilic bromination and subsequent palladium-catalyzed
cross-coupling reactions. Upon oxidation, as a typical example, NBN-DBP 5a was nearly quantitatively converted to σ-dimer 5a-2 through an open-shell intermediate, as indicated by UV–vis–NIR
absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy
corroborated by spectroscopic calculations, as well as 2D NMR spectra
analyses. In situ spectroelectrochemistry was used to confirm the
formation process of the dimer radical cation 5a-2•+. Finally, the developed new synthetic strategy could
also be applied to obtain π-extended NBN-dibenzoheptazethrene
(NBN-DBHZ), representing an efficient pathway toward NBN-doped zigzag-edged
graphene nanoribbons.