Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Some New 2,5‐Disubstituted‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole Derivatives

Synthesis of some new oxadiazole derivatives starting from 1,2,3-benzo[d]triazole-1-acetic hydrazide (1) is described. The target compounds 2-(N-substituted-aminocarbonylmethylthio)-5-(1,2,3-benzo[d]triazol-1-ylmethyl)- 1,3,4-oxadiazole (4a—4i) and 2-[2-(N-substituted-aminocarbonyl)ethylthio]-5-(1,2,3-benzo[d]triazol-1-ylmethyl)- 1,3,4-oxadiazole (5a—5i) were obtained in good yields via cyclisation of 1 and subjected to antibacterial activity test against pathogenic bacteria. The halogen containing mono- and di-substituted derivatives showed excellent antibacterial activity compared to other analogues.     

Synthesis and Characterization of New Thebaine Derivatives as Potential Opioid Agonists and Antagonists: 2‐[N‐(1H‐Tetrazol‐5‐yl)‐6,14‐endo‐etheno‐6,7,8,14‐tetrahydrothebaine‐7α‐yl]‐5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazoles

In this study, we report the synthesis a series of novel 2‐[N‐(1H‐tetrazol‐5‐yl)‐6,14‐endo‐etheno‐6,7,8,14‐tetrahydrothebaine‐7α‐yl]‐5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives ( 7a – e ) which have potential opioid antagonist and agonist. The substitution reaction of 6,14‐endo‐ethenotetrahydrothebaine‐7α‐carbohydrazide with corresponding benzoyl chlorides gave diacylhydrazine compounds 4a – e in good yields. The treatment of compounds 4a – e with POCl₃ caused the conversion of side‐chain of compounds 5a – e into 1,3,4‐oxadiazole ring at C(7) position; thus, compounds 5a – e were obtained. Subsequently, cyanamides ( 6a – e ) were prepared from compounds 5a – e and then compounds 7a – e were synthesized by the azidation of 6a – e with NaN₃. The structures of the compounds were established on the basis of their IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C APT, 2D‐NMR (COSY, NOESY, HMQC, HMBC) and high‐resolution mass spectral data.     

Synthesis of Optically Active 2‐Amino‐1,3,4‐oxadiazoles and their Hybrid Peptides

Synthesis of 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives of N^α‐Cbz(benzyloxycarbonyl)/Boc‐protected amino/peptide acids under sonication is described. The conditions involved in the present protocol are simple, mild, and racemization free. The utility of 2‐amino group in the substituted oxadiazoles for the incorporation of peptide and ureido bonds to obtain hybrid peptidomimetics is also delineated. The 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole 3b was obtained as a single crystal, and its molecular structure has been confirmed through X‐ray crystallographic study.     

Three AgI,CuI and CdII coordination polymers based on the new asymmetrical ligand 2‐{4‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]phenyl}‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole: syntheses,characterization and emission properties

The new asymmetrical organic ligand 2‐{4‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]phenyl}‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( L , C₁₇H₁₃N₅O), containing pyridine and imidazole terminal groups, as well as potential oxdiazole coordination sites, was designed and synthesized. The coordination chemistry of L with soft Ag^I, Cu^I and Cd^II metal ions was investigated and three new coordination polymers (CPs), namely, catena‐poly[[silver(I)‐μ‐2‐{4‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]phenyl}‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole] hexafluoridophosphate], {[Ag( L )]PF₆}_n, catena‐poly[[copper(I)‐di‐μ‐iodido‐copper(I)‐bis(μ‐2‐{4‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]phenyl}‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole)] 1,4‐dioxane monosolvate], {[Cu₂I₂( L )₂]·C₄H₈O₂}_n, and catena‐poly[[[dinitratocopper(II)]‐bis(μ‐2‐{4‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]phenyl}‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole)]–methanol–water (1/1/0.65)], {[Cd( L )₂(NO₃)₂]·2CH₄O·0.65H₂O}_n, were obtained. The experimental results show that ligand L coordinates easily with linear Ag^I, tetrahedral Cu^I and octahedral Cd^II metal atoms to form one‐dimensional polymeric structures. The intermediate oxadiazole ring does not participate in the coordination interactions with the metal ions. In all three CPs, weak π–π interactions between the nearly coplanar pyridine, oxadiazole and benzene rings play an important role in the packing of the polymeric chains.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New Ibuprofen‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐1,2,3‐triazole Hybrids

A new hybrid polydentate template comprising distinctive pharmacophoric groups, namely, ibuprofen, 1,3,4‐oxadiazole, and 1,2,3‐triazole linked through a thioether bridge was achieved by one‐pot synthesis by exploring multicomponent Cu‐catalyzed “click chemistry” approach. The target structures were characterized by NMR, IR, and LC‐Mass. The X‐ray analysis of 2‐(1‐(4‐isobutylphenyl)ethyl)‐5‐(((1‐(3‐nitrophenyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methyl)thio)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( 8a ) confirmed the assigned structure. The in vitro antibacterial and anticancer activity of these compounds revealed that 2‐(1‐(4‐isobutylphenyl)ethyl)‐5‐(((1‐phenyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methyl)thio)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( 8b ) demonstrated more potent antibacterial activity against Gram‐negative strains (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and 2‐(((1‐(2,4‐dimethylphenyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methyl)thio)‐5‐(1‐(4 isobutylphenyl)ethyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( 8e ) exhibited anticancer activity with IC₅₀ of 27.50 and 31.03 μg/mL against HeLa and MCF‐7 cell lines, respectively.     

Synthesis of electroluminescent copoly(aryl ether)s containing alternate 1,4‐distyrylbenzene derivatives and aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole or 3,3″‐terphenyldicarbonitrile segments

New copoly(aryl ether)s ( P1 – P3 ) containing alternate 2,5‐dihexyloxy‐1,4‐di(m‐ethoxystyryl)benzene ( P1 , P2 ) or 2,5‐dihexyloxy‐1,4‐distyrylbenzene ( P3 ) chromophores and aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( P1 ) or 3,3″‐terphenyldicarbonitrile ( P2 , P3 ) segments were prepared by Horner reaction ( P1 and P2 ) or nucleophilic displacement reaction ( P3 ). They are basically amorphous materials with 5% weight‐loss temperature above 410 °C. Their absorption, photoluminescence spectra, and quantum yields are dependent on the composition of the isolated fluorophores. The emissions are exclusively dominated by 1,4‐distyrylbenzene segments via excitation energy transfer from electron‐transporting 1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( P1 ) or 3,3″‐terphenyldicarbonitrile ( P2 , P3 ) chromophores. The HOMO and LUMO energy levels have been estimated from their cyclic voltammograms, and the observations confirm that oxidation and reduction start from the emitting 1,4‐distyrylbenzene and electron‐transporting segments, respectively, indicating that both carriers affinity can be enhanced simultaneously. Among the two‐layer PLED devices (ITO/PEDOT/ P1 – P3 /Al), P1 exhibits the best performance with a turn‐on field of 4 × 10⁵ V/cm and a maximum luminance of 225 cd/m². However, P2 emits green–yellow light (555 nm), owing to the excimer emission. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5009–5022, 2005     

Synthesis of Novel 3‐Acetyl‐2‐Aryl‐5‐(3‐Aryl‐1‐Phenyl‐Pyrazol‐4‐yl)‐2,3‐Dihydro‐1,3,4‐Oxadiazoles

A series of novel pyrazolyl‐substituted 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives ( 4a‐4o ) were prepared by cyclization of the intermediate N′‐((3‐aryl‐l‐phenyl‐pyrazol‐4‐yl)methylene)arylhydrazide with acetic anhydride. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Furthermore, preliminary bioassay of some of the title compounds indicated that they exhibited moderate inhibition against HIV‐1 PR.     

Synthesis of Novel 1‐(5‐(Benzylsulfinyl)‐3‐methyl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2(3H)‐ylidene)‐thiourea/urea Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activities

A new series of 1‐(5‐(benzylsulfinyl)‐3‐methyl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2(3H)‐ylidene)‐thiourea/urea derivatives ( 1a – j ) were designed and synthesized. For the first time, (i) a new process was developed for N‐methylation of 1,3,4‐thiadiazole moiety using dimethyl carbonate an environmentally benign reagent in presence of N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine and (ii) the sulfide was selectively oxidized to sulfoxide in higher yield by using chlorine (g) in aqueous acetic acid media under mild reaction condition. The synthesized compounds ( 1a – j ) were investigated for their antimicrobial activities. The tested compounds ( 1a – j ) were exhibited moderate to excellent antibacterial activities against both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacterial strains. The same compounds exhibited good antifungal activities against selected fungal strains. Particularly, the compounds 1b , 1d , 1h , and 1i were proved to be promising leads exhibiting both antibacterial and antifungal activities compared with standard drugs, ciprofloxacin, and fluconazole. The presence of 1,3,4‐thiadiazole moiety has a significant role in the display of antimicrobial activity. In addition, the presence of both sulfinyl and thiourea or urea functionalities has enhanced the activity as per obtained antimicrobial activity data.     

A New Route to Synthesis of 3,6‐Diaryl‐1,2,4‐triazolo[3,4‐b]1,3,4‐oxadiazoles

Five new 3,6‐diaryl‐1,2,4‐triazolo[3,4‐b]1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives were synthesized by 9 steps from aromatic acids and evaluated for their activities of anticancer and antibacteria. The structures of all new compounds synthesized were elucidated by MS, IR, ¹HNMR and HRMS.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activities of 2‐(1‐Aryl‐5‐Methyl‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐Oxadiazole Derivatives

Eighteen novel 2‐(1‐aryl‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives and two acylhydrazone intermediate compounds were synthesized by various pathways starting from 1‐aryl‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐formhydrazide ( 1 ). All products were identified by spectroscopic analysis, and 2‐(1‐aryl‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)‐5‐benzalthio‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole was further validated by X‐ray crystallography. Results from primary antibacterial activity tests indicated that most of the compounds were effective against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis and S. aureus.     

Molecular Logic Gates and Switches Based on 1,3,4‐Oxadiazoles Triggered by Metal Ions

Organic molecular devices for information processing applications are highly useful building blocks for constructing molecular‐level machines. The development of “intelligent” molecules capable of performing logic operations would enable molecular‐level devices and machines to be created. We designed a series of 2,5‐diaryl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazoles bearing a 2‐(para‐substituted)phenyl and a 5‐(o‐pyridyl) group (substituent X=NMe₂, OEt, Me, H, and Cl; 1 a – e ) that form a bidentate chelating environment for metal ions. These compounds showed fluorescence response profiles varying in both emission intensity and wavelength toward the tested metal ions Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺ and the responses were dependent on the substituent X, with those of 1 d being the most substantial. The 1,3,4‐oxadiazole O or N atom and pyridine N atom were identified as metal‐chelating sites. The fluorescence responses of 1 d upon metal chelation were employed for developing truth tables for OR, NOR, INHIBIT, and EnNOR logic gates as well as “ON‐OFF‐ON” and “OFF‐ON‐OFF” fluorescent switches in a single 1,3,4‐oxadiazole molecular system.     

Synthesis and characterization of donor–acceptor poly(3‐hexylthiophene) copolymers presenting 1,3,4‐oxadiazole units and their application to photovoltaic cells

We have used Grignard metathesis polymerization to prepare poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐based copolymers containing electron‐withdrawing 4‐tert‐butylphenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐phenyl moieties as side chains. We characterized these copolymers using ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. The band gap energy of copolymer was determined from the onset of the optical absorption. The quenching effects were observed in the photoluminescence spectra of the copolymers incorporating pendant electron‐deficient 1,3,4‐oxadiazole moieties on the side chains. The photocurrents of devices were enhanced in the presence of an optimal amount of the 1,3,4‐oxadiazole moieties, thereby leading to improved power conversion efficiencies. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3331–3339, 2010     

ZnII and CuII complexes generated from 5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐3‐[2‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2(3H)‐thione

A new 1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐containing bispyridyl ligand, namely 5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐3‐[2‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2(3H)‐thione (L), has been used to create the novel complexes tetranitratobis{μ‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐3‐[2‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2(3H)‐thione}zinc(II), [Zn₂(NO₃)₄(C₁₄H₁₂N₄OS)₂], (I), and catena‐poly[[[dinitratocopper(II)]‐bis{μ‐5‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)‐3‐[2‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2(3H)‐thione}] nitrate acetonitrile sesquisolvate dichloromethane sesquisolvate], {[Cu(NO₃)(C₁₄H₁₂N₄OS)₂]NO₃·1.5CH₃CN·1.5CH₂Cl₂}_n, (II). Compound (I) presents a distorted rectangular centrosymmetric Zn₂L₂ ring (dimensions 9.56 × 7.06 Å), where each Zn^II centre lies in a {ZnN₂O₄} coordination environment. These binuclear zinc metallocycles are linked into a two‐dimensional network through nonclassical C—H...O hydrogen bonds. The resulting sheets lie parallel to the ac plane. Compound (II), which crystallizes as a nonmerohedral twin, is a coordination polymer with double chains of Cu^II centres linked by bridging L ligands, propagating parallel to the crystallographic a axis. The Cu^II centres adopt a distorted square‐pyramidal CuN₄O coordination environment with apical O atoms. The chains in (II) are interlinked via two kinds of π–π stacking interactions along [01]. In addition, the structure of (II) contains channels parallel to the crystallographic a direction. The guest components in these channels consist of dichloromethane and acetonitrile solvent molecules and uncoordinated nitrate anions.     

Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of luminescent poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives containing electron‐transporting 1,3,4‐oxadiazole groups

Three random copolymers ( P1–P3 ) comprising phenylenevinylene and electron‐transporting aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole segments (11, 18, 28 mol %, respectively) were prepared by Gilch polymerization to investigate the influence of oxadiazole content on their photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties. For comparative study, homopolymer poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)‐1,4‐p‐phenylenevinylene] ( P0 ) was also prepared by the same process. The polymers ( P0–P3 ) are soluble in common organic solvents and thermally stable up to 410 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. Their optical properties were investigated by absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The optical results reveal that the aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole chromophores in P1–P3 suppress the intermolecular interactions. The HOMO and LUMO levels of these polymers were estimated from their cyclic voltammograms. The HOMO levels of P0–P3 are very similar (?5.02 to ?5.03 eV), whereas their LUMO levels decrease readily with increasing oxadiazole content (?2.7, ?3.08, ?3.11, and ?3.19 eV, respectively). Therefore, the electron affinity of the poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) chain can be gradually enhanced by incorporating 1,3,4‐oxadiazole segments. Among the polymers, P1 (11 mol % 1,3,4‐oxadiazole) shows the best EL performance (maximal luminance: 3490 cd/m², maximal current efficiency: 0.1 cd/A). Further increase in oxadiazole content results in micro‐phase separation that leads to performance deterioration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4377–4388, 2007     

Synthesis of 5‐(6‐Pyridazinone‐3‐yl)‐2‐Glycosylamino‐1,3,4‐Oxadiazoles

N‐Glycosyl‐2‐(1,4,5,6‐tetrahydropyridazin‐6‐one‐3‐carbonyl)‐hydrazinecarbothioamides 3a‐3g and N‐glycosyl‐2‐(1,6‐dihydropyridazin‐6‐one‐3‐carbonyl)‐hydrazinecarbothioamides 5a‐5g were prepared by the reaction of glycosyl isothiocyanates with the compounds 1,4,5,6‐tetrahydro‐3‐hydrozinecarbonyl‐6‐pyridazinone ( 1 ) and 1,6‐dihydro‐3‐hydrozinecarbonyl‐6‐pyridazinone ( 2 ). The terminal heterocyclic compounds 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives were obtained from cyclization of compounds ( 3a‐3g ) and ( 5a‐5g ) by mercuric acetate. Their structures were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, MS and elemental analyses.     

Synthesis and Antifungal Screening of 2‐(2‐Aryl‐4‐methyl‐thiazol‐5‐yl)‐5‐((2‐aryl/benzylthiazol‐4‐yl)methyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole Derivatives

A new series of synthesis and biological screening of 2‐(2‐aryl‐4‐methyl‐thiazol‐5‐yl)‐5‐((2‐aryl/benzylthiazol‐4‐yl)methyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives 5a , 5b , 5c , 5d , 5e , 5f , 5g , 5h , 5i was achieved by condensation of 2‐(2‐aryl/benzylthiazol‐4‐yl)acetohydrazide 2a , 2b , 2c with 4‐methyl‐2‐arylthiazole‐5‐carbaldehyde 3a , 3b , 3c followed by oxidative cyclization of N'‐((4‐methyl‐2‐arylthiazol‐5‐yl)methylene)‐2‐(2‐aryl/benzylthiazol‐4‐yl)acetohydrazide 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e , 4f , 4g , 4h , 4i using iodobenzene diacetate as oxidizing agent. All the synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. Some of the synthesized compounds showed good antifungal activity.     

2‐Azido‐2‐deoxycellulose: Synthesis and 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition

Chitosan ( 1 ) was prepared by basic hydrolysis of chitin of an average molecular weight of 70000 Da, ¹H‐NMR spectra indicating almost complete deacetylation. N‐Phthaloylation of 1 yielded the known N‐phthaloylchitosan ( 2 ), which was tritylated to provide 3a and methoxytritylated to 3b . Dephthaloylation of 3a with NH₂NH₂?H₂O gave the 6‐O‐tritylated chitosan 4a . Similarly, 3b gave the 6‐O‐methoxytritylated 4b . CuSO₄‐Catalyzed diazo transfer to 4a yielded 95% of the azide 5a , and uncatalyzed diazo transfer to 4b gave 82% of azide 5b . Further treatment of 5a with CuSO₄ produced 2‐azido‐2‐deoxycellulose ( 7 ). Demethoxytritylation of 5b in HCOOH gave 2‐azido‐2‐deoxy‐3,6‐di‐O‐formylcellulose ( 6 ), which was deformylated to 7 . The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of 7 to a range of phenyl‐, (phenyl)alkyl‐, and alkyl‐monosubstituted alkynes in DMSO in the presence of CuI gave the 1,2,3‐triazoles 8 – 15 in high yields.     

2,5‐Bis[4‐methyl‐3‐(pyridin‐3‐yl)phenyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole and its one‐dimensional polymeric complex with ZnCl2

2,5‐Bis[4‐methyl‐3‐(pyridin‐3‐yl)phenyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole (L), C₂₆H₂₀N₄O, forms one‐dimensional chains via two types of intermolecular π–π interactions. In catena‐poly[[dichloridozinc(II)]‐μ‐2,5‐bis[4‐methyl‐3‐(pyridin‐3‐yl)phenyl]‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole], [ZnCl₂(C₂₆H₂₀N₄O)]_n, synthesized by the combination of L with ZnCl₂, the Zn^II centres are coordinated by two Cl atoms and two N atoms from two L ligands. [ZnCl₂L]_n forms one‐dimensional P (plus) and M (minus) helical chains, where the L ligand has different directions of twist. The helical chains stack together via interchain π–π and C—H...π interactions.     

Aromatic Heterocycle 1,3,4‐Oxadiazole‐Substituted Thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene to Build Low‐Bandgap Polymer for Photovoltaic Application

Electron‐deficient heterocycle 1,3,4‐oxadiazole is first introduced to the 2‐position of thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (TT) to construct a new building block 2‐(thieno[3,4‐b]thiophen‐2‐yl)‐5‐(alkylthio)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole (TTSO) with alkylthio chain. The polymer PBDT–TTSO based on TTSO and benzodithiophene (BDT) exhibits a deep lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of −5.32 eV and low‐bandgap of 1.62 eV. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.86% is obtained with a relatively high V _OC of 0.74 V, a J _SC of 13.1 mA cm⁻², and FF of 60.5%. Furthermore, as S atom in thioether can be oxidized easily, the optoelectronic properties of PBDT–TTSO treated with different oxidants are preliminary investigated. Interestingly, the oxidation products still maintain high PCE with reduction less than 30%. This work demonstrates a new method to regulate HOMO energy levels by introducing electron‐deficient aromatic heterocyclic moiety.

     

Vinyl copolymers containing pendant 1,4‐distyrylbenzene and 1,3,4‐oxadiazole chromophores: Preparation and optoelectronic properties

We prepared two vinyl copolymers P1 and P2 containing pendant distyrylbenzene and aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives, respectively, from their precursor poly(styrene‐ran‐4‐vinylbenzyl chloride) (M_w = 11,400, PDI = 1.18), which had been prepared by the controlled radical polymerization (RAFT). Two main chain polymers containing similar isolated distyrylbenzene ( P3) and aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( P4 ) chromophores were also synthesized for comparative study. The resulted copolymers ( P1 – P4 ) are soluble in common organic solvents and are basically amorphous materials with 5% weight‐loss temperature higher than 360 °C. The PL spectral results reveal that the architecture of P1 prevents the formation of inter‐ or intramolecular interaction. The HOMO and LUMO levels of P2 , estimated from cyclic voltammetric data, are ?5.96 and ?3.81 eV, respectively, which are much lower than those of P1 (?5.12 and ?3.11 eV). The emission of blend from P1 and P2 are contributed mainly from distyrylbenzene fluorophore (～450 nm) owing to efficient energy transfer. Moreover, the blend exhibits three kinds of redox behavior depending on their weight ratios. The luminance and current efficiency of the EL device lpar;ITO/PEDOT/ MEH ‐ PPV + P2 /Al) are 503 cd/m² and 0.11 cd/A, which can be improved to 1285 cd/m² and 0.44 cd/A, respectively, as the weight ratio of P2 increases from 0 to 20%. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5362–5377, 2006