The Effect of Strain on the Aromatic Character of Infinitene

Infinitene was synthesized in a previous study in 2021, and the molecule showed high strain energy. It was not clear how the strain affected the aromatic character of the molecule. To discuss this problem, the aromatic properties of dodecacene, [12]circulene, and infinitene have been studied. The structures of these compounds have been optimized at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311G + (d,p) level of theory, and the energy of the π orbitals has been used to determine the D’ index of the aromaticity. D′ for dodecacene, [12]circulene, and infinitene were 1.45, 1.45, and 1.50, respectively, showing that infinitene is an aromatic compound but with a lower aromatic character, which is in agreement with the observed strain.