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Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Isolating Free Carbenes, their Mixed Dimers and Organic Radicals
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Persistent Radical Pairs between N-Substituted Naphthalimide and Carbanion Exhibit pKa -Dependent UV/Vis Absorption
Xiancheng Nie1, Hao Su1, Xiaoyu Chen1
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, China.
Abstract:
A new strategy was devised for estimating and screening pKa values among different carbon acids under ambient conditions by using the UV/Vis absorption spectrum of persistent radical pairs (PRPs), which are generated from an N-substituted naphthalimide (NNI) derivative in the presence of various carbanions in organic solutions. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to examine the presence of radicals. Unexpectedly, it was discovered that the UV/Vis spectrum of PRPs reveals a distinct linear relationship between the PRP absorption and the pKa value of a corresponding carbon acid, which is likely due to the energy difference among different RPRs. The finding may offer organic chemists an alternative reference to conduct carbanion-mediated reactions in various organic solutions.
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