Electron Density Analysis of the "O-O" Charge-Shift Bonding in Rubrene Endoperoxide

Rubrene endoperoxide p-xylene (1) has been obtained in crystalline form from recrystallization and purification of the organic semiconductor, rubrene, and for the first time characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. 1 is produced by reaction of rubrene with molecular oxygen to create rubrene endoperoxide, C42H28O2, in which an O2-bridge is joining the two phenyl-substituted C atoms opposite each other in the second of the four aromatic rings in tetracene thereby breaking the resonance along the tetracene moiety. The electron density distribution of 1 reveals that the intramolecular O-O bond is best characterized as charge-shift bonding with loss of electronic concentration in the interatomic region evidenced by the Laplacian. Likewise the ELI-D indicates little electron localization in this region. Furthermore, source function and ELI-D analysis of 1 clearly quantifies the lack of electronic delocalization across the six-membered ring that carries the peroxide-bridge.