Synthesis, Physical Properties, and Reactivity of Stable, π-Conjugated, Carbon-Centered Radicals

Recently, long-lived, organic radical species have attracted much attention from chemists and material scientists because of their unique electronic properties derived from their magnetic spin and singly occupied molecular orbitals. Most stable and persistent organic radicals are heteroatom-centered radicals, whereas carbon-centered radicals are generally very reactive and therefore have had limited applications. Because the physical properties of carbon-centered radicals depend predominantly on the topology of the π-electron array, the development of new carbon-centered radicals is key to new basic molecular skeletons that promise novel and diverse applications of spin materials. This account summarizes our recent studies on the development of novel carbon-centered radicals, including phenalenyl, fluorenyl, and triarylmethyl radicals.