Comment on "synthesis, characterization, and structures of persistent aniline radical cation": it is a protonated aniline and not an aniline radical cation.
The same, but different: The reaction of tri-tert-butylaniline (TBA) with AgSbF6 in CH2 Cl2 produces a green-colored intermediate which undergoes decomposition to form a protonated aniline (TBAH(+) SbF6 (-) ). Crystals of the protonated aniline salt were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and found to have the same crystal characteristics as the crystals of the supposed cation radical first identified in 2012.
Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881 (USA).
Marat R
MR
Talipov
Jeewantha S
JS
Hewage
Sergey V
SV
Lindeman
James R
JR
Gardinier
Rajendra
R
Rathore
Jahn-Teller effect; anilines; radical cations; spin contamination