Fluxional σ-Bonds of the 2,5,8-Trimethylphenalenyl Dimer: Direct Observation of the Sixfold σ-Bond Shift via a π-Dimer.

Direct evidence for σ-bond fluxionality in a phenalenyl σ-dimer was successfully obtained by a detailed investigation of the solution-state dynamics of 2,5,8-trimethylphenalenyl (TMPLY) using both experimental and theoretical approaches. TMPLY formed three diamagnetic dimers, namely, the σ-dimer (RR/SS), σ-dimer (RS), and π-dimer, which were fully characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and electronic absorption measurements. The experimental findings gave the first quantitative insights into the essential preference of these competitive and unusual dimerization modes. The spectroscopic analyses suggested that the σ-dimer (RR/SS) is the most stable in terms of energy, whereas the others are metastable; the energy differences between these three isomers are less than 1 kcal mol(-1). Furthermore, the intriguing dynamics of the TMPLY dimers in the solution state were fully revealed by means of (1)H-(1)H exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) measurements and variable-temperature (1)H NMR studies. Surprisingly, the σ-dimer (RR/SS) demonstrated a sixfold σ-bond shift between the six sets of α-carbon pairs. This unusual σ-bond fluxionality is ascribed to the presence of a direct interconversion pathway between the σ-dimer (RR/SS) and the π-dimer, which was unambiguously corroborated by the EXSY measurements. The proposed mechanism of the sixfold σ-bond shift based on the experimental findings was well-supported by theoretical calculations.