Stacking patterns of thieno[3,2‐b]thiophenes functionalized by sequential palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki and Heck cross‐coupling reactions

The crystal structures of three 5‐alkenyl‐2‐arylthieno[3,2‐b]thiophenes, namely 3,6‐dibromo‐5‐(4‐tert‐butylstyryl)‐2‐(naphthalen‐1‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene, C₂₈H₂₂Br₂S₂, (I), 3,6‐dibromo‐5‐(4‐methylstyryl)‐2‐(naphthalen‐1‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene, C₂₅H₁₆Br₂S₂, (II), and 3,6‐dibromo‐2‐(4‐tert‐butylphenyl)‐5‐(4‐methylstyryl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene, C₂₅H₂₂Br₂S₂, (III), have been determined in order to evaluate the geometry of the molecules. The π‐conjugated system containing the thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene skeleton, the ethylene bridge and the phenyl rings is almost planar. The aromatic ring directly attached to the thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene moiety is not coplanar with the thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene moiety itself due to steric hindrance of the bromo substituent. The crystal packings are characterized by π–π stacking [only for (II)] and C—Br...π interactions. The long axes of the molecules in (I) are oriented in two directions; for the two other structures the long axis is oriented in one direction only.