Electronic characteristics of arylated tetraethynylethenes: a cooperative computational and electrochemical investigation

Electrochemical analysis and ab initio calculations were done to examine the structure of donor- and/or acceptor-substituted tetraethynylethenes (TEEs) and to assess the ability of their conjugated carbon core to induce electronic communication between pendant functionality. The results revealed that the presence of one redox center on the TEE core exerts negligible effect on the redox characteristics of the other centers. It was also found that the alkyne moieties are responsible for the delocalization of charges into the carbon framework after electrochemical reduction. Such charge delocalization, in turn, leads to cis-trans isomerization.