Towards a general solid phase approach for the iterative synthesis of conjugated oligomers using a germanium based linker - first solid phase synthesis of an oligo-(triarylamine)

Integrated System Built for Small-Molecule Semiconductors via High-Throughput Approaches

High-throughput synthesis of solution-processable structurally variable small-molecule semiconductors is both an opportunity and a challenge. A large number of diverse molecules provide a possibility for quick material discovery and machine learning based on experimental data. However, the diversity of the molecular structure leads to the complexity of molecular properties, such as solubility, polarity, and crystallinity, which poses great challenges to solution processing and purification. Here, we first report an integrated system for the high-throughput synthesis, purification, and characterization of molecules with a large variety. Based on the principle "Like dissolves like," we combine theoretical calculations and a robotic platform to accelerate the purification of those molecules. With this platform, a material library containing 125 molecules and their optical-electronic properties was built within a timeframe of weeks. More importantly, the high repeatability of recrystallization we design is a reliable approach to further upgrading and industrial production.

Revisiting the Heck Reaction for Fluorous Materials Applications

Installing fluoroalkyl chains on a molecule by the Heck reaction is a versatile method to transform the molecule’s properties that enable unique materials applications. This work further expands the scope of this reaction to thiophenes, which were able to undergo further functionalization and polymerization, highlighting the potential of these molecules in conjugated organic materials.

Traceless Solid-Phase Organic Synthesis

Traceless solid-phase synthesis represents an ultimate sophisticated synthetic strategy on insoluble supports. Compounds synthesized on solid supports can be released without a trace of the linker that was used to tether the intermediates during the synthesis. Thus, the target products are composed only of the components (atoms, functional groups) inherent to the target core structure. A wide variety of synthetic strategies have been developed to prepare products in a traceless manner, and this review is dedicated to all aspects of traceless solid-phase organic synthesis. Importantly, the synthesis does not need to be carried out on a linker designed for traceless synthesis; most of the synthetic approaches described herein were developed using standard, commercially available linkers (originally devised for solid-phase peptide synthesis). The type of structure prepared in a traceless fashion is not restricted. The individual synthetic approaches are divided into eight sections, each devoted to a different methodology for traceless synthesis. Each section consists of a brief outline of the synthetic strategy followed by a description of individual reported syntheses.

High performance p-type molecular electron donors for OPV applications via alkylthiophene catenation chromophore extension

The synthesis of key 4-alkyl-substituted 5-(trimethylsilyl)thiophene-2-boronic acid pinacol esters 3 allowed a simplified alkylthiophene catenation process to access bis-, ter-, quater-, and quinquethiophene π-bridges for the synthesis of acceptor–π-bridge-donor– π-bridge-acceptor (A–π-D–π-A) electron donor molecules. Based on the known benzodithiophene-terthiophene-rhodanine (BTR) material, the BXR series of materials, BMR (X = M, monothiophene), BBR (X = B, bithiophene), known BTR (X = T, terthiophene), BQR (X = Q, quaterthiophene), and BPR (X = P(penta), quinquethiophene) were synthesised to examine the influence of chromophore extension on the device performance and stability for OPV applications. The BT^xR (x = 4, butyl, and x = 8, octyl) series of materials were synthesised by varying the oligothiophene π-bridge alkyl substituent to examine structure–property relationships in OPV device performance. The devices assembled using electron donors with an extended chromophore (BQR and BPR) are shown to be more thermally stable than the BTR containing devices, with un-optimized efficiencies up to 9.0% PCE. BQR has been incorporated as a secondary donor in ternary blend devices with PTB7-Th resulting in high-performance OPV devices with up to 10.7% PCE.

Unprecedented Demonstration of Regioselective SE Ar Reaction giving Unsymmetrical Regioregular Oligothiophenes

Aromatization of 4-cyano-3-oxotetrahydrothiophene by sulfuryl chloride gives the new building block 4-cyano-3-pyrrolidylthiophene, which forms unsymmetrical regioregular oligothiophenes with a strict alternation of the donor and acceptor groups along the conjugated system. The self-coupling reactions that form the oligomers are shown to proceed by a regioselective electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism involving a stabilized Wheland intermediate.

Solid-supported hydrazone of 4-(4'-formyl-3'-methoxyphenoxy)butyric acid as a new traceless linker for solid-phase synthesis

The use of a hydrazine derived from a backbone amide linker as a new hydrazone-based traceless linker for solid-phase organic synthesis is described. The stability of the linker was tested under various conditions, including treatment with acids, bases, and borohydrides. Final compounds can be released by selective cleavage using trimethylsilanolate. To demonstrate the versatility of the linker, the synthesis of a model compound under various reaction conditions was performed with good results.

"Fibonacci's route" to regioregular oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s

We describe a new synthetic approach to regioregular monodisperse oligo(3-alkylthiophene)s allowing for simple separation of regioregular material in gram quantities. The number of repeat units follows the Fibonacci numbers up to a length of 21. In a small adaption of this approach, introduction of a protecting group was used to synthesize an oligo(3-hexylthiophene) with 36 repeating units, the longest regioregular 3-hexylthiophene oligomer synthesized to date.

Polymer-supported syntheses of thiophene-containing compounds using a new type of traceless linker

A new type of traceless linker is described for use in polymer-supported (PS) syntheses of thiophene-containing compounds. It is based on the cleavage of PS aryl 2-thienyl ketones by a mixture of potassium t-butoxide and water (typical mol ratio 10:3) in an ethereal solvent. Cleavage occurs to give the soluble thiophene-containing product. The method is used to prepare a range of eight thiophene-containing compounds including a terthiophene and a dialkylquaterthiophene. PS unsymmetrical diaryl ketones incorporating, for example, ortho-methoxyphenyl or pyrrole moieties could also serve as traceless linkers.

Metal-free regioselective oxidative biaryl coupling leading to head-to-tail bithiophenes: reactivity switching, a concept based on the iodonium(III) intermediate

A new synthetic concept for obtaining unsymmetrical biaryl coupling products by an oxidative method is reported. Our synthetic strategy casts light on the reaction intermediate for switching the reactivity of 3-substituted thiophenes. On the basis of this strategy, a novel direct method for the synthesis of head-to-tail bithiophenes using hypervalent iodine(III) reagents has been developed.

A method for parallel solid-phase synthesis of iodinated analogues of the CB1 receptor inverse agonist rimonabant

A method for the parallel solid-phase synthesis (SPS) of iodinated analogues of Sanofi-Aventis' type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor inverse agonist rimonabant (acomplia) has been developed. The method allows the synthesis of a range of C3 amide/hydrazide derivatives from a resin-bound C3 ester precursor. The C-Ge linkage to the Hypogel-200 resin is stable to the diversification conditions but allows ipso-iododegermylative cleavage using NaI/NCS even for the products containing the oxidatively labile hydrazide moiety.