Phenylene ethynylene pentamers for organic electroluminescence

Zirconocene-mediated selective synthesis of 1,4-bis(alkynyl)benzenes

A series of novel 1,4-bis(alkynyl)benzene derivatives were synthesized from trimethylsilyl-substituted alkynes by the mediation of zirconocene with excellent regioselectivity in high yields. The 3,6-bis(trimethylsilyl)-4,5-dialkylphthalic acid dimethyl esters were prepared by cycloaddition of 2,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)zirconacyclopentadienes to dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate. After iodination with iodine monochloride, 3,6-diiodo-4,5-dialkylphthalic acid dimethyl esters reacted with terminal alkynes to prepare the corresponding 1,4-bis(alkynyl)benzene derivatives by Sonogashira coupling reactions. After removal of trimethylsilyl, 4,5-dibutyl-3,6-bis(ethynyl)phthalic acid dimethyl ester (compound 3) reacted with 4-iodobenzoic acid ethyl ester and 2-iodothiophene, respectively, to obtain the corresponding products 4a and 4c. Compound 3 can be extended to higher oligomers, which reacted with 1-bromo-4-iodobenzene and phenylacetylene in a stepwise manner under Sonogashira conditions to give the phenylene-ethynylene oligomer 5 in an isolated yield of 85%. The structures of the products were confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy, and MS. The optical properties of the 1,4-bis(alkynyl)benzene derivatives were studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence spectra. The results indicated that some can be developed into potential photovoltaic materials.

Well-Defined Conjugated Macromolecules Based on Oligo(Arylene Ethynylene)s in Sensing

Macromolecules with well-defined structures in terms of molar mass and monomer sequence became interesting building blocks for modern materials. The precision of the macromolecular structure makes fine-tuning of the properties of resulting materials possible. Conjugated macromolecules exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties that make them exceptional candidates for sensor construction. The importance of chain length and monomer sequence is particularly important in conjugated systems. The oligomer length, monomer sequence, and structural modification often influence the energy bang gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the molecules that reflect in their properties. Moreover, the supramolecular aggregation that is often observed in oligo-conjugated systems is usually strongly affected by even minor structural changes that are used for sensor designs. This review discusses the examples of well-defined conjugated macromolecules based on oligo(arylene ethynylene) skeleton used for sensor applications. Here, exclusively examples of uniform macromolecules are summarized. The sensing mechanisms and importance of uniformity of structure are deliberated.

Synthesis of oligoarylacetylenes with defined conjugated sequences using tailor-made soluble polymer supports

The use of polystyrene-based soluble polymer supports greatly simplifies the synthesis and characterization of self-aggregating sequence-defined oligoarylacetylenes.

Photo-reduction of CO2 Using a Rhenium Complex Covalently Supported on a Graphene/TiO2 Composite

One of the promising solutions for decreasing atmospheric CO2 is artificial photosynthesis, in which CO2 can be photoconverted into solar fuels. In this study, a rhenium complex Re(PyBn)(CO)3 Cl (PyBn=1-(2-picolyl)-4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole) was covalently grafted onto the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). This was further combined with TiO2 to fabricate a novel catalyst composite TiO2 -rGO-Re(PyBn)(CO)3 Cl for CO2 photo-reduction. This hybrid composite demonstrated high selectivity conversion of CO2 into CO under xenon-lamp irradiation. Compared with the unsupported homogeneous catalyst Re(PyBn)(CO)3 Cl, the covalent immobilized catalyst composite TiO2 -rGO-Re(PyBn)(CO)3 Cl enhanced the turnover number six times and significantly improved catalyst stability. During the process of CO2 photo-reduction, intermediate species with lifetimes longer than hundreds of microseconds were observed and the formation of CO products was revealed using timeresolved infrared spectroscopy. A plausible mechanism for CO2 photo-reduction by the TiO2 -rGO-Re(PyBn)(CO)3 Cl catalyst composite has been suggested. The obtained results have implications for the future design of efficient catalyst composites for CO2 photo-conversion.

Competition Between π-π and C-H/π Interactions: A Comparison of the Structural and Electronic Properties of Alkoxy-Substituted 1,8-Bis((propyloxyphenyl)ethynyl)naphthalenes

The structural and electronic consequences of π-π and C-H/π interactions in two alkoxy-substituted 1,8-bis- ((propyloxyphenyl)ethynyl)naphthalenes are explored by using X-ray crystallography and electronic structure computations. The crystal structure of analogue 4, bearing an alkoxy side chain in the 4-position of each of the phenyl rings, adopts a π-stacked geometry, whereas analogue 8, bearing alkoxy groups at both the 2- and the 5-positions of each ring, has a geometry in which the rings are splayed away from a π-stacked arrangement. Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory analysis was performed on the two analogues to evaluate the interactions between the phenylethynyl arms in each molecule in terms of electrostatic, steric, polarization, and London dispersion components. The computations support the expectation that the π-stacked geometry of the alkoxyphenyl units in 4 is simply a consequence of maximizing π-π interactions. However, the splayed geometry of 8 results from a more subtle competition between different noncovalent interactions: this geometry provides a favorable anti-alignment of C-O bond dipoles, and two C-H/π interactions in which hydrogen atoms of the alkyl side chains interact favorably with the π electrons of the other phenyl ring. These favorable interactions overcome competing π-π interactions to give rise to a geometry in which the phenylethynyl substituents are in an offset, unstacked arrangement.

Photochromism-induced amplification of critical current density in superconducting boron-doped diamond with an azobenzene molecular layer

A key issue in molecular electronics is the control of electronic states by optical stimuli, which enables fast and high-density data storage and temporal-spatial control over molecular processes. In this article, we report preparation of a photoswitchable superconductor using a heavily boron-doped diamond (BDD) with a photochromic azobenzene (AZ) molecular layer. BDDs electrode properties allow for electrochemical immobilization, followed by copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (a "click" reaction). Superconducting properties were examined with magnetic and electrical transport measurements, such as field-dependent isothermal magnetization, temperature-dependent resistance, and the low-temperature voltage-current response. These measurements revealed reversible amplification of the critical current density by 55% upon photoisomerization. This effect is explained as the reversible photoisomerization of AZ inducing an inhomogeneous electron distribution along the BDD surface that renormalizes the surface pinning contribution to the critical current.

Conjugated oligomers incorporating azulene building blocks – seven- vs. five-membered ring connectivity

The properties of isomeric azulene derivatives based on 7- versus 5-membered ring substitution were examined by the synthesis and characterization of well-defined electroactive oligomers.

Experimental and theoretical study of the n-doped successive polyanions of oligocruciform molecular wires: up to five units of charge

The electronic structure of polyanions of sterically encumbered triisopropylsilyl-substituted linear and cyclic oligo(phenyleneethynylene)s (Monomer, Trimer, Pentamer, and Triangle) is investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), and UV/Vis-near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and theoretical calculations (DFT). Increasing anion orders are generated sequentially in vacuo at room temperature by chemical reaction with potassium metal up to the pentaanion. The relevance of these compounds acting as electron reservoirs is thus demonstrated. Even-order anions are EPR silent, whereas the odd species exhibit different signatures, which are identified after comparison of the measured hyperfine couplings by ENDOR spectroscopy with those predicted by DFT calculations. With increasing size of the oligomers the electron spin density is first distributed over the backbone carbon atoms for the monoanions, and then further localized at the outer phenyl rings for the trianion species. Examination of the UV/Vis-NIR spectra indicates that the monoanions (T(.-) , P(.-) ) exhibit two transitions in the Vis-NIR region, whereas a strong absorption in the IR region is solely observed for higher reduced states. Electronic transitions of the neutral monoanions and trianions are redshifted with increasing oligomer size, whereas for a given oligomer a blueshift is observed upon increasing the charge, which suggests a localization of the spin density.

Mixed monolayer organic films via sequential electrografting from aryldiazonium ion and arylhydrazine solutions

Sequential electrografting at glassy carbon from aryldiazonium salt solutions, or an aryldiazonium salt followed by an arylhydrazine, leads to the formation of covalently attached monolayer films incorporating two modifiers. In the first step, a 4-((triisopropylsilyl)ethynyl)phenyl film is electrografted to the surface, followed by removal of the triisopropylsilyl group to give a submonolayer of phenylethynylene groups. Two general strategies can then be applied to "fill in" the sparse monolayer with a second modifier. In the first route, nitrophenyl groups are grafted to the phenylethynylene-modified surface by the oxidation of 4-nitrophenylhydrazine. Ferrocene can be coupled to the terminal alkyne groups on the surface via a click reaction with azidomethylferrocene; an electrochemical measurement of the amount of immobilized ferrocene demonstrates that the phenylethynylene layer retains close to full reactivity after the second grafting step. In the alternative strategy, ferrocene is coupled to the phenylethynylene layer prior to grafting nitrophenyl groups by the reduction of the 4-nitrobenzenediazonium ion or by the oxidation of 4-nitrophenylhydrazine. For all approaches, the optimization of the grafting conditions gives surface concentrations of ferrocene and nitrophenyl groups that are consistent with those of a mixed monolayer. The stepwise generation of mixed monolayers is also monitored by film thickness measurements by depth profiling using the atomic force microscope. Thickness values are consistent with the proposed film structure in each preparation step.

Organic triplet excited states of gold(I) complexes with oligo(o- or m-phenyleneethynylene) ligands: conjunction of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic studies on exciton delocalization and emission pathways

A series of mononuclear and binuclear gold(I) complexes containing oligo(o- or m-phenyleneethynylene) (PE) ligands, namely [PhC≡C(C(6)H(4)-1,2-C≡C)(n-1)Au(PCy(3))] (n = 2-4, 4a-c), [μ-{C≡C-(1,2-C(6)H(4)C≡C)(n)}{Au(PCy(3))}(2)] (n = 1-6, 8, 5a-g), [PhC≡C(C(6)H(4)-1,3-C≡C)(n-1)Au(PCy(3))] (n = 2-4, 6a-c), and [μ-{C≡C-(1,3-C(6)H(4)C≡C)(n)}{Au(PCy(3))}(2)] (n = 1, 2, 7a,b), were synthesized and structurally characterized. Extensive spectroscopic measurements have been performed by applying combined methods of femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA), fs time-resolved fluorescence (fs-TRF), and nanosecond time-resolved emission (ns-TRE) coupled with steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy at both ambient and low (77 K) temperatures to directly probe the temporal evolution of the excited states and to determine the dynamics and spectral signatures for the involved singlet (S(1)) and triplet (T(1)) excited states. The results reveal that S(1) and T(1) both feature ligand-centered electronic transitions with ππ* character associated with the phenyl and acetylene moieties. The (3)ππ* emission of the PE ligands is switched on by the attachment of [Au(PCy(3))](+) fragment(s) due to the heavy-atom effect. T(1)((3)ππ*) was found to form with nearly unity efficiency through intersystem crossing (ISC) from S(1)((1)ππ*). The ISC time constants were determined to be ∼50, 35, and 40 ps for 4b and 6a,b, respectively. Dual emission composed of fluorescence from S(1) and phosphorescence from T(1) were observed for most of the complexes except 5a and 7a, where only phosphorescence was found. The fluorescence at ambient temperature is accounted for by both the short-lived prompt fluorescence (PF) and long-lived delayed fluorescence (DF, lifetime on microsecond time scale). Explicit evidence was presented for a triplet-triplet annihilation mechanism for the generation of DF. Ligand length and substitution-dependent dynamics of T(1) are the key factors governing the dual emission character of the complexes. By extrapolation from the plot of emission energy against the PE chain length of the [Au(PCy(3))](+) complexes with oligo(o-PE) or oligo(m-PE) ligands, the triplet emission energies were estimated to be ∼530 and ∼470 nm for poly(o-PE) and poly(m-PE), respectively. Additionally, we assign the unusual red shifts of 983 cm(-1) from [PhC≡CAu(PCy(3))] (1) to [μ-{1,3-(C≡C)(2)C(6)H(4)}{Au(PCy(3))}(2)] (7a) and 462 cm(-1) from 7a to [μ(3)-{1,3,5-(C≡C)(3)C(6)H(3)}{Au(PCy(3))}(3)] (8) in the phosphorescence energies to excitonic coupling interactions between the C≡CAu(PCy(3)) arms in the triplet excited states. These complexes, together with those previously reported [Au(PCy(3))](+) complexes containing oligo(p-PE) ligands ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002 , 124 , 14696 - 14706 ), form a collection of oligo(phenyleneethynylene) complexes exhibiting organic triplet emission in solution under ambient conditions. The remarkable feature of these complexes in exhibiting TTA prompted DF in conjunction with high formation efficiency of T(1)((3)ππ*) affords an opportunity for emission spectra to cover a wide range of wavelengths. This may have implication in the development of PE-based molecular materials for future optical applications.

Experimental and theoretical study of a new carbazole derivative having terminal benzimidazole rings

A novel intramolecular donor-acceptor compound has been synthesized and characterized. This compound was a symmetrical A-pi-D-pi-A type molecule containing two benzimidazole rings as two electron acceptors (A) and an N-ethylcarbazole group as electron donors (D). The absorption and emission spectra of the compound were determined by experimental methods in solution and were computed by using the density functional theory (DFT) and the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) in gas phase and in chloroform solution. The calculated absorption and emission wavelengths were in good agreement with the experimental ones. The fluorescence quantum yields and fluorescence lifetimes of the compound in several solvents have been studied by means of steady state and time resolved fluorescence. The results showed the compound had high quantum yield. The cross-section of two-photon absorption (TPA) of the compound was measured by using femtosecond laser in dichloromethane solution. The result indicated the cross-section maximum of two-photon absorption was 430 GM at 600 nm. These results made the compound of great interest as a new fluorescent probe and photoluminescence material.

Synthesis of hybrid masked triyne-phenylene axial rods containing (E)-beta-chlorovinylsilanes in the pi-conjugated framework

A two-directional synthesis of a masked hexayne 7, in which two beta-chlorovinylsilanes protect two of the internal alkynes, is reported. The key step involves the Pd-catalyzed oxidative dimerization of alkyne 10 to provide diyne 12, which is elaborated into centrosymmetric masked hexayne 7 in four steps. Masked hexayne 7 is a constitutional isomer of masked hexayne 2, which has been used as a monomer unit for oligoyne assembly. Although masked hexayne 7 was not as convenient a building block as 2 for application in oligoyne assembly, one of its precursors, namely alkyne 10, could be used successfully in Sonogashira couplings, which allowed the incorporation of aromatic spacers and the formation of hybrid masked triyne-phenylenes 20 and 28. Compounds 20 and 28 both contain removable end-groups, which will permit their application as building blocks for the assembly of classes of long-chain, pi-conjugated rod-like molecules. Rod-like molecule 34, which possesses a similar conjugated scaffold as 28, was also prepared by using a similar strategy. Treatment of 34 with TBAF effected a 2-fold dechlorosilylation to provide a rigid rod molecule 35 in which two phenylene units interrupt an octayne scaffold.

Synthesis and Structure-Linear and Structure-Nonlinear Optical Properties of Multi-Dipolar Zigzag Oligoaryleneethynylenes

A novel series of monodisperse, multi-dipolar zigzag oligoaryleneethynylenes DA(n) and D-Ar-A(n), bearing electron-donating dibenzothiophene and electron-accepting dibenzothiophene dioxide as arenes, with up to six charge-transfer (dipolar) units have been designed and synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling reactions. The linear and nonlinear optical properties of these multi-dipolar oligoaryleneethynylenes can easily be modified or enhanced by incorporating/extending with various central aryleneethynyl moieties such as phenylethynyl, oligo(9,9-dibutylfluorenyl)ethynyl, and oligothienylethynyl within the donor-acceptor units. Interestingly, the absorption and emission of these zigzag oligoaryleneethynylenes are not dependent on the number of covalently linked dipolar chromophores; however, the fluorescence quantum efficiencies consistently decrease with increased number of covalently linked dipolar units. These zigzag oligoaryleneethynylenes exhibit a linear increase in the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-sections with increased number of covalently linked dipolar units without red-shifting the absorption and emission spectra. In addition, very large TPA cross-sections in the femtosecond regime (sigma(800) = 1306 GM in DMF or sigma(750) = 1522 GM in CH(2)Cl(2)) were obtained for D-TF-A(4) despite the moderate strength of the donor-acceptor pair. Our results suggest that the TPA properties of these zigzag oligoaryleneethynylenes including TPA wavelength and TPA cross-section can easily be tuned by means of modifying the central aryleneethynylene units and increasing the number of dipolar units, respectively. This approach provides an alternative means to tune or enhance the TPA cross-section at a specific wavelength.

Combined micro-Raman/UV-visible/fluorescence spectrometer for high-throughput analysis of microsamples

Combined micro-Raman/UV-visible (vis)/fluorescence spectroscopy system, which can evaluate an integrated array of more than 10,000 microsamples with a minimuma size of 5 microm within a few hours, has been developed for the first time. The array of microsamples is positioned on a computer-controlled XY translation microstage with a spatial resolution of 1 mum so that the spectra can be mapped with micron precision. Micro-Raman spectrometers have a high spectral resolution of about 2 cm(-1) over the wave number range of 150-3900 cm(-1), while UV-vis and fluorescence spectrometers have high spectral resolutions of 0.4 and 0.1 nm over the wavelength range of 190-900 nm, respectively. In particular, the signal-to-noise ratio of the micro-Raman spectroscopy has been improved by using a holographic Raman grating and a liquid-nitrogen-cooled charge-coupled device detector. The performance of the combined spectroscopy system has been demonstrated by the high-throughput screening of a combinatorial ferroelectric (i.e., BaTi(x)Zr(1-x)O(3)) library. This system makes possible the structure analysis of various materials including ferroelectrics, catalysts, phosphors, polymers, alloys, and so on for the development of novel materials and the ultrasensitive detection of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals and diagnostic agents.

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Carbazole-Based Blue Light-Emitting Dendrimers

A new class of highly fluorescent and stable carbazole-based dendrimers (1-5) that contain the ethynylbenzene and diethynylbenzene cores has been synthesized and characterized. They show very high extinction coefficients of absorption (A(max) approximately 328-353 nm) and high quantum yields of fluorescence (lambda(max) approximately 386-437 nm; Phi(F) approximately 0.72-0.89; tau(F) approximately 2.09-3.91 ns) in dichloromethane. The quantum yields of fluorescence of 1-5 in the solid state are equally high (lambda(max) approximately 385-422 nm; Phi(F) approximately 0.40-0.85). These data indicate their potential use as blue-emitting materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Excited-State Structure and Dynamics of 1,3,5-Tris(phenylethynyl)benzene as Studied by Raman and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Excited-state structure and dynamics of 1,3,5-tris(phenylethynyl)benzene (TPB) have been studied in n-hexane and n-heptane solutions. Time-resolved fluorescence spectra, fluorescence anisotropy, and lifetime of TPB were recorded with femtosecond to nanosecond time resolution. Raman depolarization ratio was also measured to elucidate a nonplanar structure of the ground state. Two fluorescence components, the short-lived component with 150 fs lifetime and the long-lived component with 10 ns lifetime, were observed. The analysis of the fluorescence anisotropy values combined with the Raman depolarization data has led to a conclusion that TPB is primarily excited to a short-lived excited singlet state with a nonplanar structure, and then it relaxes to a long-lived excited singlet state with a 3-fold axis. A rapid structural change from a nonplanar to a planar structure is suggested to take place in the process of relaxation.

Non-conjugated, phenyl assisted coupling in through bond electron transfer in a perylenemonoimide–triphenylamine system

Two donor-bridge-acceptor compounds containing triphenylamine (TPA) donors and perylenemonoimide (PMI) acceptors have been studied by spectroscopic techniques and quantum chemical computation. Both systems have been observed to emit prompt and delayed fluorescence under certain conditions indicating that forward and reverse electron transfer (ET) processes can occur between the locally excited and the charge separated states. The experimental and computational results show that the TPA and PMI chromophores are better coupled by almost 50% in the meta isomers which undergo ET more readily than the para isomers. Quantum chemical calculations indicate that this unexpected situation is the result of a phenyl group on the side of the bridge being advantageously positioned in the meta isomers. This leads to more extensive delocalisation of the TPA HOMO into the bridge enhancing the total through bond electronic coupling between the TPA and PMI chromophores. The calculations also indicate a strong angle dependence of the total coupling in both isomers. The experimental results are discussed in the context of the high temperature limit of Marcus's theory of non-adiabatic ET.

Solid-Phase Synthesis of m-Phenylene Ethynylene Heterosequence Oligomers

Both homo- and heterosequence m-phenylene ethynylene oligomers are synthesized using a conceptually simple iterative solid-phase strategy. Oligomers are attached to Merrifield's resin through a known triazene-type linkage. The phenylene ethynylene molecular backbone is constructed through a series of palladium-mediated cross-coupling reactions. The strategy employs two types of monomers that bear orthogonal reactivity, one being a monoprotected bisethynyl arene and the other being a 3-bromo-5-iodo arene. The catalyst conditions are tailored to the requirements of each monomer type. The monoprotected bisethynyl arene is coupled to the growing chain in 2 h at room temperature using a Pd(I) dimer precatalyst ((t)Bu3P(Pd(mu-Cl)(mu-2-methyl allyl)Pd)P(t)Bu3) in conjunction with ZnBr2 and diisopropylamine. In alternate steps, the resin is deprotected in situ with TBAF and coupled to the 3-bromo-5-iodo arene using the iodo selective Pd(tri-2-furylphosphine)4 catalyst in conjunction with CuI and piperidine; this reaction is also completed in 2 h at room temperature. These cross-coupling events are alternated until an oligomer of the desired length is achieved. The oligomer is then cleaved from the resin using CH(2)I(2)/I(2) at 110 degrees C and purified using preparatory GPC. Using this method, a series of homo- and heterosequence oligomers up to 12 units in length in excellent yield and purity were synthesized on the 100 mg scale. Longer oligomers were attempted; however, deletion sequences were found in oligomers longer than 12 units.

Convergent Synthesis of 10 nm Aryleneethynylene Molecular Wires by an Iterative Regioselective Deprotection/Sonogashira Coupling Protocol

[structure: see text] The synthesis of a new series of rigid-rod aryleneethynylene derivatives of up to ca. 10 nm molecular length (compounds 16 and 17) is reported using iterative Pd-mediated Sonogashira coupling methodology combined with regioselective removal of the different protecting groups (namely, trimethylsilyl and 2-hydroxyprop-2-yl groups) from the terminal alkyne units. Additionally, the TMS-acetylene unit has been cleanly deprotected to afford a terminal alkyne in the presence of a cyanoethylsulfanyl group. Some of these molecular wires are functionalized with terminal protected thiophenol units for attachment to metal surfaces (compounds 16 and 17). Internal electron-acceptor units have been incorporated into their structures, namely, 9-[di(4-pyridyl)methylene]fluorene (compound 17) or fluorenone (compounds 19-22). Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra reveal a red shift in the value of lambda(max) with increasing molecular length, which approaches saturation at an effective conjugation length of ca. 15-20 pi-units in the molecules, where each phenyl ring or a triple bond is counted as one pi-unit.

Pyridine-Capped, Oligomeric (o-Phenyleneethynylene)s

The synthesis, optical properties, and solid-state structures of a series of o-(aryleneethynylene) oligomers containing three to seven aryl units is described. The main chain in all examples is composed of between one and five 4,5-dimethoxybenzene rings which are capped on each end by 2-pyridyl rings. These oligomers demonstrate pH-dependent emission and absorption spectra. Single crystals were obtained from the aryleneethynylenes containing three to five arene rings. These single crystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction.

Synthesis of Nanostructures Based on 1,4- and 1,3,5-Ethynylphenyl Subunits with π-Extended Conjugation. Carbon Dendron Units

Nanometer-sized conjugated 1,4- and 1,3,5-ethynylphenyl oligomers were synthesized starting from 3,5-di(trimethylsilylethynyl)phenylacetylene and p-[3,5-di(trimethylsilylethynyl)-1-ethynylphenyl]phenyl acetylene by cross-coupling reaction with a convenient haloaryl derivative, catalyzed by palladium(II)/copper(I), in excellent yield. The terminal acetylenes were efficiently prepared by a specific protection-deprotection methodology. All ethynylphenyl homologues obtained show fluorescence emission, with the bathochromic shift of approximately 20 nm by each ethynylphenyl unit increasing the conjugate chain. Parallel conjugated ethynylphenyl chains were prepared through the insertion of a 1,5-naphthalene subunit, and the compounds exhibit fluorescence radiation emission.

An approach to long and unsubstituted molecular wires: synthesis of redox-active, cationic phenylethynyl oligomers designed for self-assembled monolayers

Various oligo(phenyleneethynylene)s (OPEs) have been synthesized in the past, as they are considered as prototypes of molecular wires. When the oligomers are capped by a redox site at one end and a thiol at the other end, the resulting molecules can be grafted as a self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode and fully studied by electrochemical techniques. Unfortunately, such molecules are usually poorly soluble and require the incorporation of solubilizing pendant groups. In this paper, we show that the replacement of the classically used redox group ferrocene by a cationic organometallic ruthenium complex, namely, [Ru(bipy)(2)(ppH)](+) (bipy, 2,2'-bipyridine; ppH, 2-(2'-yl-phenyl)pyridine), allows a concise synthesis of an unsubstituted thioacetate-capped OPE up to four repetitive units long. The positive charge does not interfere with the conventional organic chemistry used to elongate, purify, or characterize the hexafluorophosphate salts of the molecules. To our knowledge, this represents the first family of long, poorly substituted OPEs designed for self-assembly.