Reduction of π-Expanded Cyclooctatetraene with Lithium: Stabilization of the Tetra-Anion through Internal Li+ Coordination.

The chemical reduction of a π-expanded polycyclic framework comprising a cyclooctatetraene moiety, octaphenyltetrabenzocyclooctatetraene, with lithium metal readily affords the corresponding tetra-anion instead of the expected aromatic dianion. As revealed by X-ray crystallography, the highly contorted tetra-anion is stabilized by coordination of two internally bound Li+ , while two external cations remain solvent separated. The variable-temperature 7 Li NMR spectra in THF confirm the presence of three types of Li+ ions and clearly differentiate internal binding, consistent with the crystal structure. Density-functional theory calculations suggest that the formation of the highly charged tetra-reduced carbanion is stabilized through Li+ coordination under the applied experimental conditions.