Synthesis and characterization of 7triangulene

Triangulene and its π-extended homologues constitute non-Kekulé polyradical frameworks with high-spin ground states, and are anticipated to be key components of organic spintronic devices. We report a combined in-solution and on-surface synthesis of the hitherto largest triangulene homologue, 7triangulene (C78H24), consisting of twenty-eight benzenoid rings fused in a triangular fashion. We employ low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to confirm the chemical structure of individual molecules adsorbed on a Cu(111) surface. While neutral 7triangulene in the gas phase is predicted to have an open-shell septet ground state; our scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements, in combination with density functional theory calculations, reveal chemisorption of 7triangulene on Cu(111) together with considerable charge transfer, resulting in a closed-shell state. Furthermore, substantial hybridization between the molecular orbitals of 7triangulene is observed.