Versatile synthesis of 3,4-b diheteropentalenes

We describe a new route for the synthesis of thieno[3,4-b]thiophene, alkyl derivatives thereof, seleno[3,4-b]thiophene, and thieno[3,4-b]furan made from inexpensive starting materials, such as thiophene-2-carboxylic acid and furan-2-carboxylic acid. Such fused heterocycles are of great interest for low band gap organic semiconductors and applications including OLEDs, organic photovoltaic cells, and electrochromics.     

Convenient synthesis and anticancer evaluation of novel pyrazolyl-thiophene,thieno[3,2-b]pyridine,pyrazolo[3,4-d]thieno[3,2-b]pyridine and pyrano[2,3-d]thieno[3,2-b]pyridine derivatives

The newly synthesized 3-(3-amino-5-(phenylamino)-4-(phenylcarbamoyl)thiophen-2-yl)-3-oxopropanoate was utilized as a precursor for the synthesis of pyrazolyl-thiophene derivative, which undergoes cyclization upon treatment with benzaldehyde derivatives to provide pyrazolo[3,4-d]thieno[3,2-b]pyridines. Basic treatment of pyrazolyl-thiophene derivative with phenyl isothiocyanate followed by subsequent addition of chloroacetone and/or ethyl bromoacetate yielded the thiazolylidene-pyrazolyl thiophenes. In addition, the building block 3-(3-amino-5-(phenylamino)-4-(phenylcarbamoyl)thiophen-2-yl)-3-oxopropanoate was converted into the corresponding thieno[3,2-b]pyridine compounds through its reactions with (DMF-DMA) and/or heating in sodium ethoxide. Moreover, the reaction of 7-hydroxy-5-oxo-N-phenyl-2-(phenylamino)-4,5-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]pyridine-3-carboxamide with 2-arylidenemalononitrile produced the new annulated pyrano[2,3-d]thieno[3,2-b]pyridines. The prepared thiophene-based compounds were evaluated against HepG2, PC3, and MCF-7 cancer cells, and normal fibroblast cell (WI38). The pyrazolo[3,4-d]thieno[3,2-b]pyridine and pyrano[2,3-d]thieno[3,2-b]pyridine compounds substituted with chlorophenyl group presented promising cytotoxic activities against HepG2 cancer cell line without any human toxicity. Docking study for the synthesized thiophene compounds delivered valuable insights about the binding interactions with the crystal structure of NS5B enzyme with PDB ID (4TLR).     

New benzodithiophene-pyrrolopyrroledione-thienopyrazine random terpolymers for organic photovoltaics

New random ternary copolymers containing fragments of pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione, 2,3-bis[6-fluoro-9-(2-octyl- dodecyl)-9H-carbazol-3-yl]-3,3′-[5,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)- thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine as electron-withdrawing fragments and benzodithiophene as an electron-donor block have been synthesized. The best power conversion efficiency of 9.18% was achieved for the terpolymer with pyrrolopyrroledione/ thienopyrazine ratio of 1:3. The introduction of the third thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine acceptor block into the structure of the ‘parent’ binary polymer can significantly adjust energy levels and the light absorption range of irregular copolymers, and can enhance photovoltaic properties due to improved absorption capacity and charge transfer.     

Novel 5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate esters: Highly efficient synthesis and mesogenic evaluation of a new class of materials exhibiting the smectic C phase

A series of alkyl 5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylates were prepared via a direct, efficient Pd(0)-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling approach. A series of long-chain alkyl thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate esters, synthesised from newly reported alkyl mercaptoacetates, were elaborated into the target compounds via regioselective (C-5) halogenation followed by cross-coupling with 4-alkoxyphenyltrifluoroborate salts. As expected, these target alkyl 5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate ester mesogens exhibited the orthogonal smectic A phase; notably, they are the first materials built on the thieno[3,2-b]thiophene motif to also exhibit the smectic C mesophase.     

Photochromic dihetarylethenes. 14. Synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical dihetarylcyclobutene-1,2-diones

A procedure was developed for the synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical cyclobutene-1,2-dione derivatives bearing thiophene and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene substituents by the Friedel—Crafts reaction of the corresponding heterocyclic compounds with squaric acid dichloride in the presence of AlCl₃. In addition to the target dihetarylcyclobutenediones, monoacylation products of methyl (2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)acetate and methyl 5-methylthieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate with squaric acid dichloride were isolated and characterized.     

An efficient synthesis of novel spiro[[8H]indeno[2,1-b]-thiophene-8,9′-fluorene] building block for blue light-emitting materials

We have developed efficient synthetic routes to obtain a novel building block spiro[[8H]indeno[2,1-b]thiophene-8,9′-fluorene] (SITF), a monothiophene-containing spirobifluorene analogue, and constructed blue light-emitting materials, including 2′,7′-bis([1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-spiro[indeno[2,1-b]thiophene-8,9′-fluorene] (BBP-SITF) and 2′,7′-bis(9,9′-spirobifluoren-2-yl)spiro[[8H]indeno[2,1-b]-thiophene-8,9′-fluorene] (BSBF-SITF). BSBF-SITF has shown to be a stable blue light-emitting material with high PL quantum efficiency (89%) and unique regioselective feature at the C2 of thiophene, which indicate that BSBF-SITF will be useful for constructing complicated optoelectronic systems.     

Cascade transformation of 4-hydroxymethyl-2-carene into novel cage methanopyrano[4,3-b]thieno[3,2-g]benzofuran derivative

Reaction of trans-4-hydroxymethyl-2-carene with thiophene- 2-carbaldehyde under heterogeneous catalysis by K10 clay affordsubstitutedmethanopyrano[4,3-b]thieno[3,2-g]- benzofuran, a complex 5-membered chiral cage heterocyclic compound containing two thiophene moieties. Its structure was determined by 1D and 2D NMR experiments (HSQC, HMBC, COSY, NOESY) and HRMS.     

Selenium heterocycles. XXXIII. Synthesis of thieno[3,4-b]furan,seleno[3,4-b]furan,thieno[3,4-b]indole and seleno[3,4-b]indole. four novel heterocycles

Starting from the readily available 2-methyl-3-benzoylfuran, 1-phenylthieno[3,4-b]furan and 1-phenyl-seleno[3,4-b]furan were prepared. Also, starting from phenyl 3-methylindol-2-yl ketone and aryl 2-methyl-indole-3-yl ketones a series of substituted thieno[3,4-b]indoles and substituted seleno[3,4-b]indoles were prepared.     

Angular polycyclic thiophenes containing two thiophene rings. I

We describe the synthesis of thieno[2,3-c]dibenzothiophene ( 6 ), thieno[3,2-c]dibenzothiophene ( 10 ), thieno-[3,2-a]dibenzothiophene ( 14 ), thieno[2,3-a]dibenzothiophene ( 16 ), benzo[1,2-b:4,3-b]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 18 ), benzo[1,2--6:3,4-b]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 20 ), benzo[2,1--6:3,4-b]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 22 ), benzo[1,2-b:3,4-g]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 27 ), benzo[1,2-b:4,3-e]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 29 ), benzo[2,1--6:3,4-g]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 36 ), benzo[2,1--6:4,3-e]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 38 ), benzo[1,2--6:4,3-g]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 41 ), benzo[1,2-b:4,5-g]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 42 ), benzo[1,2-b:3,4-e]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 44 ) and benzo-[1,2-b:5,4-e]bisbenzo[b]thiophene ( 45 ).     

All-polymer solar cells with perylenediimide polymer acceptors

Four polymers based on perylenediimide co-polymerized with thiophene, bithiophene, selenophone and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene were investigated as the acceptor materials in all-polymer solar cells. Two different donor polymers, poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene)-2-carboxylate-2,6-diyl](PTB7-Th) and poly[(5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4,7-diyl)-alt-(3,3′′′-di(2-dodecyltetradecyl)-2,2′;5′,2″;5″,2′′′-quaterthiophen-5,5′′′-diyl)](Pff BT4T-2DT), with suitably complementary absorption spectra and energy levels were applied and examined. Among all different donor-acceptor pairs studied here, the combination of PTB7-Th:poly[N,N′-bis(1-hexylheptyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenediimide-1,6/1,7-diyl-alt-2,5-thiophene](PDI-Th) exhibited the best power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 5.13%, with open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)) = 0.79 V, short-circuit current density(J_(sc)) = 12.35 mA·cm~(-2) and fill-factor(FF) = 0.52. The polymer of PDI-Th acceptor used here had a regio-irregular backbone, conveniently prepared from a mixture of 1,6- and 1,7-dibromo-PDI. It is also noteworthy that neither additive nor posttreatment is required for obtaining such a cell performance.     

Synthesis of 1H-thieno[3,4-c]pyrazoles,thieno[3,4-b]furans,selenolo[3,4-b]furans and pyrrolo[3,4-d]thiazoles

Starting from the readily available aryl 2-methyl-5-phenyl-3-furyl ketones, 5-methyl-1H-1-phenylpyrazole-4-yl ketones and 4-methyl-2-phenyl-5-thiazolylcarboxaldehyde, a series of 2-phenyl-4-arylthieno[3,4-b]-furan, 2-phenyl-4-(p-methoxyphenyl)selenolo[3,4-b]furan, 4-aryl-1H-1-phenylthieno[3,4-c]pyrazole and 5-benzyl-2-phenylpyrrolo[3,4-d]thiazole were prepared in high yield.     

Synthesis and Transformations of 3-Ethoxycarbonyl-2-(N-R-thioureido)thiophenes

3-Ethoxycarbonyl-2-(N-R-thioureido)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophenes were obtained by the reaction of 2-amino-3-ethoxycarbonyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene with isothiocyanates and of 3-ethoxycarbonyl-2-isothiocyanato-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene with primary and secondary amines. The cyclization paths of the products leading to derivatives of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine and thieno[2,3-d]-1,3-thiazine were studied. The corresponding S-substituted derivatives were obtained by the alkylation of 3-R-2-thioxo-3,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydrobenzo[b]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones.     

Synthesis and transformations of 3-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)thieno[2,3-b]pyridines

Reactions of 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran with 3-aminothieno[2,3-b]pyridines afford a number of substituted 3-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)thieno[2,3-b]pyridines. The possibility of the reaction and the yield of the product are determined by the character of a substituent in position 2 of thieno[2,3-b]pyridine. The Curtius rearrangement of 2-acylazido-3(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)thieno[2,3-b]pyridines yields 4,5-dihydropyrido[3",2":4,5]thieno[2,3-e]pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazin-4-ones. The molecular and crystal structures of ethyl 4-methoxymethyl-6-methyl-3-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)thieno[2,3-b]pyridine-2-carboxylate were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Tetra</Emphasis>-EDOT substituted 3D electrochromic polymers with lower band gaps

A couple of novel electrochromic materials poly(2,3,4,5-tetrakis(2,3-hydrothieno[3,4-b]dixin-5-yl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrrole) (P(t-EDOT-mPy)) and poly(5,5′,5′′,5′′′-(thiophene-2,3,4,5-tetrayl)tetrakis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxine)) (P(t-EDOT-Th)) are electrodeposited via multi-position polymerization of their tetra-EDOT substituted monomers t-EDOT-mPy and t-EDOT-Th, respectively. Compared with the linear 2D structured poly(thiophene) (E _g=2.2 eV) and poly(2,5-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)thiophene) (E _g=1.7 eV), P(t-EDOT-Th) (E _g=1.62 eV) has the lowest band gap. Hence, we speculate that the band gaps of the two polymers, having 3D structures, are decreased in contrast to non-substituted polymers or bi-EDOT substituted polymers, thiophene and 1-methyl-1H-pyrrole. The results indicated that P(t-EDOT-Th) thin films are more stable and show higher transmittance amid two polymers, which may find their utilization in organic optoelectronics.     

Construction of new heteroacenes based on benzo[b]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene / quinoline or 1,8-naphthyridine systems using the Friedländer reaction

Two new classes of heteroacenes, namely benzo[4′,5′]thieno[2′,3′:4,5]thieno[3,2-b]quinolines and benzo[4′,5′]thieno[2′,3′:4,5]thieno[3,2-b][1,8]naphthyridines, have been formed using the Friedländer reaction to annulate the benzo[b]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene scaffold to quinoline or 1,8-naphthyridine fragments. In accordance with this synthetic strategy, benzo[b]thieno[2,3-d]thiophen-3(2H)-ones were treated with 2-aminobenzaldehydes or 2-aminonicotinaldehyde in the presence of pyrrolidine in glacial acetic acid at reflux to give the desired quinoline- or 1,8-naphthyridine-fused compounds, respectively. The optical and electrochemical properties of selected heteroacenes were determined.     

Synthesis of new donor-acceptor polymers containing thiadiazoloquinoxaline and pyrazinoquinoxaline moieties: low-band gap, high optical contrast, and almost black colored materials

Two low band gap conjugated polymers, poly[4,9-bis(4-hexylthien-2-yl)-6,7-di(thien-2-yl)-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline] (PHTTQ) and poly[5,10-bis(4-hexylthien-2-yl)-2,3,7,8-tetra(thien-2-yl)pyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline] (PHTPQ), consisting of alternating electron-rich 3-hexylthiophene and electron-deficient 6,7-di(thien-2-yl)-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline (TTQ) and 2,3,7,8-tetra(thien-2-yl)-2,3-dihydropyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline (TPQ) units were synthesized electrochemically. The structures of the π-conjugated monomers were tailored using thiophene as the pendant group on the acceptor units (TTQ and TPQ). The electrochemical and optical properties of the polymers were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. The absorption spectra of PHTPQ, revealing a 1.0 eV band gap, exhibited three maxima at 352 nm, 535 nm, and 750 nm. Consequently, its absorption spectra cover the region between 400 and 800 nm, which make the polymer almost black in appearance. PHTTQ shows a λ_max value of 820 nm and a band gap of 0.8 eV which is very low among other [1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline-containing donor-acceptor type polymers.     

Molecular designing and DFT investigation of novel alternating donor–acceptor dibenzo[b,d]thiophen-based systems: from monomer to polymer

The structures and properties of dibenzo[b,d]thiophene (DBT) based alternating donor–acceptor conjugated oligomers, in which thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine (TP), thieno[3,4-b]thiadiazole (TD), and [1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-e]thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine (TTP) as acceptors, and their periodic polymers were investigated by the density function theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The bond length, electron density at bond critical points (BCPs) and nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) are analyzed and correlated with the conductive properties. NICS shows that the conjugation degree is increased with main chain extension. Research results show the conductive ability of compounds with 1:2 D–A ratio is better than that with 1:1 D–A ratio. The reorganization energies and energy bands also are considered. The results suggest that (BTDDBT) _n and (BTPDDBT) _n have small reorganization energy (0.163 and 0.152 eV, respectively) and quite low energy gap (0.73 and 0.56 eV, respectively), which indicate that they may be potential organic conductive materials.     

Convenient synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-3-ones and pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5-carbaldehyde using vinamidinium salts

An expedient method for the synthesis of 2-phenyl-5-aryl-2,3-dihydropyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-3-ones and 2-phenyl-3-oxo-2,3-dihydropyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5-carbaldehyde in a single-step via condensation of vinamidinium salts with 3-amino-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one is described.     

Palladium-catalyzed amination and cyclization to heteroannellated indoles and carbazoles

New ortho-bromodiarylamines in the benzo[b]thiophene series were prepared by palladium-catalyzed amination, either in the benzene or in the thiophene ring. These were submitted to palladium-catalyzed cyclization, under different required conditions, to give several differently substituted thieno[3,2-c] or [2,3-b]carbazoles and indolo[3,2-b]benzo[b]thiophenes. This constitutes a novel synthetic route to both tetracyclic systems.     

Synthesis and alkylation of pyrazolo[3,4-c]isoquinolines and hexahydrocyclohepta[d]pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines

The condensation of 1-acyl-2-(morpholin-4-yl)cycloalkenes with 3-amino-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-ones gave the corresponding 2,3,6,7,8,9-hexahydropyrazolo[3,4-c]isoquinoline and 3,6,7,8,9,10-hexahydrocyclohepta[ d]pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine derivatives. Alkylation of 2,3,6,7,8,9-hexahydropyrazolo[3,4-c]-isoquinolines with alkyl halides occurred at the nitrogen atom in the 3-position. The structure of 7-methyl-2,5-diphenyl-2,3,6,7,8,9-hexahydro-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]isoquinolin-1-one was proved by X-ray analysis.