Multisubstituted phthalonitriles for phthalocyanine synthesis

Abstract

3,4,5,6-tetrafluorophthalonitrile and 3,4,5,6-tetrachlorophthalonitrile were used as substrates with various phenoxides to prepare 3,4,6-trihalo-5-p-substitutedphenoxyphthalonitriles, containing four substituents other than hydrogen, by nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions. Subsequent reactions with unsymmetrical catechols gave tetrasubstitutedphthalonitriles, having four different substituents. In one instance, attempts to displace the last remaining fluoro group by an octanoxide nucleophile led to substitution of a p-methylphenoxy group, showing that phenoxy substituents are also labile in nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions on phthalonitriles. Alternatively, 4,5-dimethoxyphthalonitrile or 4,5-dineopentoxyphthalonitrile underwent electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions with dibromoisocyanuric acid to give their respective 3,6-dibromophthalonitriles. Coupling of these bromophthalonitriles with tri(n-butyl)phenylylethynyltin and tri(n-butyl)vinyltin in the presence of a nickel catalyst gave 4,5-dimethoxy-3,6-bisphenylethy nylphthalonitrile, 3-bromo-4,5-dimethoxy-6-phenylethynylphthalonitrile, 4,5-dineopentoxy-3,6-bisphenylethynylphthalonitrile, 3-bromo-4,5-dineopentoxy-6-phenylethynylphthalonitrile, 4,5-dimethoxy-3,6-vinylphthalonitrile and 3-bromo-4,5-dimethoxy-6-vinylphthalonitrile. Reductions in the coupling steps sometimes led to 4,5-dimethoxy-3-phenylethynylphthalonitrile and 4,5-dimethoxy-3-vinylphthalonitrile.