Nanoscale aryleneethynylene molecular wires with reversible fluorenone electrochemistry for self-assembly onto metal surfaces

structure: see text] Two rigid-rod conjugated molecules (11 and 12) of ca. 4 and 7 nm length, respectively, bearing protected terminal thiol groups have been synthesized via multistep Sonogashira coupling reactions and shown to possess reversible cathodic solution electrochemistry arising from reduction of the fluorenone units.