[1] Its electronic ground state is an open-shell doublet rather than a quartet; that is, the unpaired electrons in the three singly occupied molecular orbitals form a low-spin state in which one electron has its spin-state opposed to the other two.

Hund's rule would predict that the ground state would have all three radical electrons with the same spin-state as each other (none opposed), for a greater total spin.

As a result of having non-paired electrons in both spin states coupled together, this compound exhibits antiferromagnetism.

Though similar ground states are observed in molecules containing transition metal atoms, it is unprecedented in organic molecules.

It has a triplet ground state consisting of a phenyl anion and a m-xylylene biradical.