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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Isolating Free Carbenes, their Mixed Dimers and Organic Radicals
Published on: April 19, 2019
Structure, stability, and spectra of C9H3, C11H3, and C13H3 radicals
1Department of Chemistry, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041004, China. zcjwh@dns.sxtu.edu.cn
Abstract:
Density functional theory has been used to investigate the geometries, vibrational frequencies, rotational constants, and dipole moments of the C(9)H(3), C(11)H(3), and C(13)H(3) radicals. Vertical electronic transition energies of C(9)H(3), C(11)H(3), and C(13)H(3) are calculated by the time-dependent density functional theory. Present results show that the most stable arrangements of C(9)H(3), C(11)H(3), and C(13)H(3) are H(2)C(9)H, H(2)C(11)H, and H(2)C(13)H with a C(2v) symmetry, respectively. Such lowest-energy isomers have an obvious single and triple bond alternation carbon chain. Their isomers HC(4)(HC)C(4)H, HC(4)[C(C(2)H)]C(4)H, and C(C(4)H)(3) are predicted to have vibrational frequencies and vertical excitation energies in good agreement with experimental observations. HC(4)(HC)C(4)H, HC(4)[C(C(2)H)]C(4)H, and C(C(4)H)(3) have similar trigonal structure, which gives rise to the remarkably similar spectroscopic features as obtained experimentally. On the basis of present calculations, the isomers HC(4)(HC)C(4)H, HC(4)[C(C(2)H)]C(4)H, and C(C(4)H)(3) of C(9)H(3), C(11)H(3), and C(13)H(3) radicals are most likely the carriers of the observed spectra.
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