Observation of SOMO-HOMO Inversion in a Neutral Polycyclic Conjugated Hydrocarbon
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We report the generation of a nonbenzenoid polycyclic conjugated hydrocarbon, which consists of a biphenyl moiety substituted by indenyl units at the 4,4' positions, on ultrathin sodium chloride films by tip-induced chemistry. Single-molecule characterization by scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy reveals an open-shell biradical ground state with a peculiar electronic configuration wherein the singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs) are lower in energy than the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO).
Paschke F, Lieske L, Albrecht F, Chen C, Repp J, Gross L ACS Nano. 2025; 19(2):2641-2650.
PMID: 39772482 PMC: 11760183. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c14476.