Triptycene End-Capped Indigo Derivatives - Turning Insoluble Pigments to Soluble Dyes

European J Org Chem. 2021 Jan 8;2021(1):72-76. doi: 10.1002/ejoc.202001362. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Abstract

The synthesis of a highly soluble triptycene end-capped indigo and its bay annulated derivative is reported. Both compounds have been studied by absorption and emission spectroscopy cyclic voltammetry, as well as theoretical calculations and compared to the parent indigo and bay annulated indigo. Besides a large improvement of solubility in organic solvents by the factor of approx. 70(!) the compounds also show a pronounced tendency to form crystals. Both properties, making these compounds promising electron acceptors for organic electronics.

Keywords: Dyes; Electron acceptors; Indigo; Solubility; Triptycene.