as-Indaceno[3,2,1,8,7,6-ghijklm]terrylene as a near-infrared absorbing C(70)-fragment

Carbon and hydrogen are fundamental components of organic molecules and a fascinating plethora of functions can be generated using these two elements. Yet, realizing attractive electronic structures only by using carbon and hydrogen remains challenging. Herein, we report the synthesis and properties of the C(70) fragment as-indaceno[3,2,1,8,7,6-ghijklm]terrylene, which exhibits near-infrared (NIR) absorption (up to ca. 1300 nm), even though this molecule consists of only 34 carbon and 14 hydrogen atoms. A remarkably small highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) gap is confirmed by electrochemical measurement and theoretical calculations. Furthermore, as-indacenoterrylene is stable despite the absence of peripheral substituents, which contrasts with the cases of other NIR-absorbing hydrocarbons such as diradicaloids and antiaromatic molecules. The results of this study thus offer fundamental insights into the design of hydrocarbons with a small band gap.