Edge Decoration of Anthracene Switches Global Diatropic Current That Controls the Acene Reactivity.

The 14π-electron system of anthracene has been merged with the unsaturated Z-1,2-difurylethene to form a macrocycle(s) with the retained local conjugation of all incorporated subunits that were substantially modulated with a redox activation, opening a global delocalization involving all integrated aromatics. In addition, the edge modulation of acene via the attachment of a specific isomer of the conjugated system gives steric confinements that are characteristic of small macrocycles, forcing substantially short C(H)···O electrostatic interactions that are documented spectroscopically with the support of X-ray analysis.