The story of π-conjugated isotruxene and its congeners: From syntheses to applications

Novel truxene-based dipyrromethanes (DPMs): synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and photophysical properties

For the first time, herein, we report the synthetic part of the truxene-centred mono-, di- and tri-substituted dipyromethanes (DPMs) in good yields (60-80%) along with their preliminary photophysical (absorption, emission and time resolved fluorescence lifetime) properties. The condensation reaction for assembling the required DPMs were catalyzed with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) at 0 °C to room temperature (rt), and the stable dipyrromethanes were purified through silica-gel column chromatography. After successfully synthesizing these easy-to-make yet interesting molecules, they were fully characterized by means of the standard spectroscopic techniques (1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS). We are of the opinion that these truxene-based systems will be useful for diverse applications in future studies.

Tunable C-H functionalization and dearomatization enabled by an organic photocatalyst

C-H functionalization and dearomatization constitute fundamental transformations of aromatic compounds, which find wide applications in various research areas. However, achieving both transformations from the same substrates with a single catalyst by operating a distinct mechanism remains challenging. Here, we report a photocatalytic strategy to modulate the reaction pathways that can be directed toward either C-H functionalization or dearomatization under redox-neutral or net-reductive conditions, respectively. Two sets of indoles and indolines bearing tertiary alcohols are divergently furnished with good yields and high selectivity. The key to success is the introduction of isoazatruxene ITN-2 as a novel photocatalyst (PC), which outperforms the commonly used PCs. The ready synthesis and high modulability of isoazatruxene type PCs indicate their great application potential.

C3-Symmetric Indole-Based Truxenes: Design, Synthesis, and Photophysical Studies

In recent years, truxenes and related polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have engrossed ample interest of the scientific community because of their ease of synthesis, functionalizations, and use as building blocks for the synthesis of fullerene fragments, liquid crystals, larger polyarenes, and C3-tripod materials. In the present work, we have disclosed an ingenious method for the construction of various indolo-truxene hybrid molecules in good yields (52-90%), by means of the acid-catalyzed cotrimerization, Friedel-Crafts acylation, and Fischer indole synthesis, and fully characterized them through the standard spectroscopic techniques. The photophysical properties of the thus-prepared compounds have also been investigated using steady-state absorption and fluorescence and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. Moreover, the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations have been studied to correlate them with the measured photophysical properties of the synthesized indolo-truxene derivatives.

Dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]thiophene (DTT): an emerging heterocyclic building block for future organic electronic materials & functional supramolecular chemistry

Heterocyclic compounds being potent biochemical materials are ubiquitous molecules in our life. Amongst, the five membered aromatic ring systems, thiophene has emerged as a remarkable entity in organic electronics owing to its (i) high resonance energy, (ii) more electrophilic reactivity than benzene, (iii) high π-electron density, (iv) planar structure and, (v) presence of vacant d-orbital in addition to the presence of loosely bind lone-pairs of electrons on sulfur atoms. In recent past, thiophene-fused molecule namely, dithienothiophene (DTT) has attracted a tremendous attention of the researchers worldwide due to their potential applicability in organic electronics such as in solar cells, electrochromic devices (ECDs), organic field effect transistors (OFETs), organic limiting diodes (OLEDs), fluorescent probes, redox switching and so forth because of their (i) higher charge mobility, (ii) extended π-conjugation, and (iii) better tuning of band gaps, etc. In this particular review article, we envisioned to report the recent advancements made on the DTT-based architectures not only because of the potential applicability of this valuable scaffold in organic electronic but also to motivate the young researchers worldwide to look for the challenging opportunities related to this privileged building block in both material sciences and functional supramolecular chemistry.

Synthesis of a Triazaisotruxene-Based Porous Organic Polymer and Its Application in Iodine Capture

A new triazaisotruxene-based porous organic polymer (POP) was designed and successfully synthesized by a FeCl3-promoted crosslinking reaction. As a result of its porosity and good thermal stability, the designed POP can be utilized as a promising adsorbent for iodine, not only in the gaseous phase, but also in organic and aqueous solutions. Compared to its triazatruxene (TN) analogue, the ITN-based POP shows equal iodine uptake in the gaseous phase and in hexane solution, and better uptake in aqueous solution.

An Efficient and Versatile Deep Eutectic Solvent-Mediated Green Method for the Synthesis of Functionalized Coumarins

Herein, we report a green and efficient synthetic route for the construction of diverse functionalized coumarins in good-to-excellent yields (60-98%) via the Pechmann condensation. The optimized synthetic route involves a biodegradable, reusable, and inexpensive deep eutectic solvent (DES) of choline chloride and l-(+)-tartaric acid in a ratio of 1:2 at 110 °C. Interestingly, phloroglucinol and ethyl acetoacetate, upon reaction, furnished the functionalized coumarin (20) in 98% yield within 10 min. On the other front, the same DES at relatively lower reaction temperature (90 °C) was found to provide the bis-coumarins in decent yields (81-97%) within 20-45 min. Moreover, this particular method was found to be quite effective for large-scale coumarin synthesis without noteworthy reduction in the yields of the desired products. Noticeably, in this versatile approach, the DES plays a dual role as solvent as well as catalyst, and it was effectively recycled and reused four times with no significant drop-down in the yield of the product.

Cu-Catalyzed Radical Addition and Oxidation Cascade: Unsymmetrical Trimerization of Indole to Access Isotriazatruxene

Herein we describe a Cu-catalyzed radical addition and oxidation cascade reaction for the chemo/regioselective synthesis of unsymmetrical indole trimers (isotriazatruxenes, i-TATs) from easily available starting materials. The i-TATs exhibited blue fluorescence in various solvents with different fluorescence intensities and showed good structural expansibility. A wider range of products could be used in optoelectronic materials by developing suitable derivatives.

An expeditious and highly efficient synthesis of substituted pyrroles using a low melting deep eutectic mixture

An expeditious green method for the synthesis of diverse valued substituted pyrroles through a Paal-Knorr condensation reaction, using a variety of amines and 2,5-hexanedione/2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran in the presence of a low melting mixture of N,N'-dimethylurea and L-(+)-tartaric acid (which acts as a dual catalyst/solvent system), has fruitfully been revealed. Herein, we have disclosed the applicability of this simple yet effective strategy for the generation of mono- and dipyrroles in good to excellent yields. Moreover, C₃-symmetric tripyrrolo-truxene derivatives have also been assembled by means of cyclotrimerization, Paal-Knorr and Clauson-Kaas reactions as crucial steps. Interestingly, the melting mixture was recovered and reused with only a gradual decrease in the catalytic activity (over four cycles) without any significant drop in the yield of the product. This particular methodology is simple, rapid, environmental friendly, and high yielding for the generation of a variety of pyrroles. To the best of our knowledge, the present work reveals the fastest greener method reported up to this date for the construction of substituted pyrroles by utilizing the Paal-Knorr synthetic protocol, achieving impressive yields under operationally simple reaction conditions without involving any precarious/dangerous catalysts or unsafe volatile organic solvents.

Design, synthesis and photophysical properties of novel star-shaped truxene-based heterocycles utilizing ring-closing metathesis, Clauson-Kaas, Van Leusen and Ullmann-type reactions as key tools

Design, synthesis and properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has historically attracted a considerable interdisciplinary interest from both fundamental as well as applied viewpoint on account of their wonderful optoelectronic properties. The scientific interest in two-dimensional star-shaped PAHs particularly in truxene architectures arises because of their high thermal stability, exceptional solubility and ease with which they can be constructed and modified. Therefore, bearing in mind a wide range of applications of truxene and its congeners, herein we reveal three novel distinctly different routes for the generation of C 3-symmetric pyrrole-based truxene architectures by means of cyclotrimerization, ring-closing metathesis (RCM), Clauson-Kaas and Ullmann-type coupling reactions as key steps. Moreover, we have also assembled some other interesting heterocyclic systems possessing oxazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, and benzoxazole in the framework of truxene. Additionally, the preliminary photophysical properties (absorption and emission) for these versatile systems has been revealed.