Aromaticity is a fundamental concept in chemistry and well understood for planar, conjugated, monocyclic compounds. However, in extended π-conjugated, polycyclic systems, the issue becomes more complex. A thorough understanding of aromaticity in unusual or new extended conjugated, polycyclic structures is essential for the development of new classes of organic materials for applications in energy storage materials, supercapacitors, or metal-ion batteries. In this issue ofChem, Liu et al. achieve a step toward this goal: they report an octaradicaloid and a decaradicaloid that both exhibit the elusive annulene-within-annulene structure and global aromaticity; the first follows Baird's rule in the inner and outer rings, and the latter satisfies Hückel's rule in the inner ring and Baird's rule in the outer ring. Because of their small energy gaps and polyradicaloid characters, both show rare amphoteric redox behavior involving at least 12 redox waves. Alexis Goulet-Hanssens, a former postdoc in the Hecht Lab, reflects on the smart decision to commit so much valuable time to learning German early on in his postdoc and how he embraced all opportunities arising from unexpected twists both in life and in the lab.

中文翻译：

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在这个问题上

芳香性是化学中的基本概念，对于平面共轭单环化合物已广为人知。但是，在扩展的π共轭多环系统中，问题变得更加复杂。透彻了解不寻常或新的扩展共轭多环结构中的芳香性，对于开发用于储能材料，超级电容器或金属离子电池的新型有机材料至关重要。在《化学》杂志上，Liu等人。实现这一目标又迈出了一步：他们报告了一种八面类化合物和十类化合物，它们都表现出难以捉摸的环-环内结构和整体芳香性；前者在内环和外环中遵循贝尔德法则，后者在内环中满足Hückel法则，在外环中满足贝尔德法则。由于它们的小能隙和多自由基特征，它们都表现出罕见的两性氧化还原行为，涉及至少12个氧化还原波。赫克特实验室的前博士后亚历克西斯·古莱特·汉森斯（Alexis Goulet-Hanssens）反思了一个明智的决定，即花大量宝贵的时间在他的博士后尽早学习德语，以及他如何接受生活和实验室中意外变化所带来的所有机会。