A robust spin-coupled tetraradical via nonalternant design
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Updated: Nov 8, 2026

Isolating Free Carbenes, their Mixed Dimers and Organic Radicals
Published on: April 19, 2019
Weixiang Zhou1, Yu-Shuang Zhang2, Gaetano Ricci3
1Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China.
Abstract:
Polyradicals in open-shell polycyclic hydrocarbons (PHs) offer access to multiple spin states and hold great promise for spintronics and quantum technologies. Here we report a nonalternant, air-stable tetraradical featuring two fused 7-5-7 rings and a strongly correlated singlet ground state. This molecule displays an exceptional tetraradical character (y0 = 1.00, y1 = 0.89) and exhibits long ambient stability (t1/2 = 33 days). Comprehensive electronic structure and magnetic response analyses reveal that the spin topology is governed by both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, with robust electron correlation (J1 = +321 K, J2 = -44 K, and J3 = -29 K). The unique nonalternant design suppresses hyperfine and vibrational decoherence, giving rise to long spin relaxation and coherence time. These findings demonstrate that embedding nonalternant motifs into PH polyradicals provides a powerful strategy to simultaneously promote molecular stability, spin-exchange coupling, and spin robustness-key features for materials in the rising field of quantum information science.
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