Synthesis of 4,7′-Bibenzo[b]thiophenes Bearing Several Different Substituents at 2-, 2′-, 4′-, and 7-Positions; Structurally Featured Molecular Scaffolds for Selective Substitution

Four isomers of 4,7′-bibenzothiophene scaffolds bearing two different halogen (Br, Cl) and triisopropylsilyl substituents have been synthesized from the two multihalobenzo[b]thiophenes via iodoselective Miyaura borylation reaction using potassium benzoate as a base. Further investigation into the reactivity of 4,7′-bibenzothiophenes in substitution reaction, Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, and C–H direct arylation reaction revealed that tetrasubstituted 4,7′-bibenzothiophenes can be synthesized site- (chemo-) selectively, which are promising novel components for molecular architecture.

Thiophene-Based Trimers and Their Bioapplications: An Overview

Certainly, the success of polythiophenes is due in the first place to their outstanding electronic properties and superior processability. Nevertheless, there are additional reasons that contribute to arouse the scientific interest around these materials. Among these, the large variety of chemical modifications that is possible to perform on the thiophene ring is a precious aspect. In particular, a turning point was marked by the diffusion of synthetic strategies for the preparation of terthiophenes: the vast richness of approaches today available for the easy customization of these structures allows the finetuning of their chemical, physical, and optical properties. Therefore, terthiophene derivatives have become an extremely versatile class of compounds both for direct application or for the preparation of electronic functional polymers. Moreover, their biocompatibility and ease of functionalization make them appealing for biology and medical research, as it testifies to the blossoming of studies in these fields in which they are involved. It is thus with the willingness to guide the reader through all the possibilities offered by these structures that this review elucidates the synthetic methods and describes the full chemical variety of terthiophenes and their derivatives. In the final part, an in-depth presentation of their numerous bioapplications intends to provide a complete picture of the state of the art.

Multifunctional π-expanded oligothiophene macrocycles

This tutorial review summarizes recent progress in the design, synthesis, and multifunctional properties of fully conjugated macrocyclic π-systems. We focus on the π-expanded oligothiophene macrocycles after a short survey of macrocyclic conjugated loops and belts such as [n]cycloparaphenylenes, cyclic[n]para-phenylacetylenes, [4]cyclo-2,8-crysenylenes, and cyclo[n]thiophenes. Fully conjugated π-expanded oligothiophene macrocycles possess shape-persistent but sometimes pliable π-frames, and the electronic and optoelectronic properties of the macrocycles largely depend on the π-systems inserted into the oligothiophene macrocycles. Among them, the π-expanded oligothiophene macrocycle composed of 2,5-thienylenes, ethynylenes, and vinylenes is one of the most widely applicable macrocycles for constructing multifunctional π-systems. These π-expanded oligothiophene macrocycles from small to very large ring sizes can be prepared via a short step procedure, and their various solid state structures can be determined by X-ray analysis. Since these macrocycles have inner and outer domains, specific information concerning structural, electronic, and optical properties is expected. Furthermore, π-expanded oligothiophene macrocycles with alkyl substituents exhibit various morphologies depending on nanophase separation of molecules, and a morphological change is observed for the molecular switch.

Copper-Catalyzed Eglinton Oxidative Homocoupling of Terminal Alkynes: A Computational Study

The copper(II) acetate mediated oxidative homocoupling of terminal alkynes, namely, the Eglinton coupling, has been studied with DFT methods. The mechanism of the whole reaction has been modeled using phenylacetylene as substrate. The obtained results indicate that, in contrast to some classical proposals, the reaction does not involve the formation of free alkynyl radicals and proceeds by the dimerization of copper(II) alkynyl complexes followed by a bimetallic reductive elimination. The calculations demonstrate that the rate limiting-step of the reaction is the alkyne deprotonation and that more acidic substrates provide faster reactions, in agreement with the experimental observations.

Recent advances and applications of Glaser coupling employing greener protocols

Recent developments in Glaser coupling catalysed by copper(i) is discussed in the review with emphasis on its application.

Sexithiophenes as efficient luminescence quenchers of quantum dots

Sexithiophenes 1a and 1b, in which a 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl unit is incorporated as an end-capping group, were synthesised and characterised by cyclic voltammetry, absorption spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry. Additionally, their ability to function as effective luminescence quenchers for quantum dot emission was studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy and compared with the performance of alkyl end-capped sexithiophenes 2a and 2b.