Refreshing the Legacy of Rudolf Nietzki: Benzene-1,2,4,5-tetramine and Related Compounds.

Like hydroquinones and quinones, aromatic compounds with multiple NH groups and the corresponding quinonediimines have the potential to serve as components of useful redox-active organic materials. Benzene-1,2,4,5-tetramine (BTA) and its oxidized form BTA-H offer a promising redox pair of this type, and the compounds have proven to be useful in many areas of chemistry. However, key aspects of their behavior have remained poorly studied, such as the nature of their protonated forms, their preferred molecular structures, their reactivity, and their organization in condensed phases. In the present work, we have used a combination of improved methods of synthesis, computation, spectroscopic studies, and structural analyses to develop a deeper understanding of BTA, BTA-H, their salts, and related compounds. The new knowledge is expected to accelerate exploitation of the compounds in areas of materials science where desirable properties can only be attained by properly controlling the organization of molecular components.