Synthesis of 1,4‐Diethynyl‐ and 1,1,4,4‐Tetraethynylbutatrienes

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper, we report the synthesis and opto‐electronic properties of differentially substituted 1,4‐diethynyl‐ and 1,1,4,4‐tetraethynylbuta‐1,2,3‐trienes. These novel chromophores greatly extend the series of building modules for oxidative coupling, which includes 1,2‐diethynyl‐ and 1,1,2,2‐tetraethynylethenes and 1,3‐diethynylallenes (Fig. 1). A general synthesis of 1,1,4,4‐tetraethynylbutatrienes, which tolerates a significant number of peripheral substituents, starts from pentadiynols that are oxidized to the corresponding dialkynyl ketones, followed by Corey–Fuchs dibromo‐olefination, and transition metal mediated dimerization (Schemes 2 and 3). A similar protocol, including oxidation of propargyl aldehydes, dibromo‐olefination, and dimerization yields the less stable 1,4‐diethynylbutatrienes (Scheme 4). Attempts to prepare 1,1,4,4‐tetraethynylbutatrienes with four terminal electron‐donor‐substituted aryl groups failed so far, mainly due to difficulties in the dibromoolefination step (Scheme 6). cis‐trans‐Isomerization of differentially substituted 1,1,4,4‐tetraethynylbutatrienes is remarkably facile, with barriers to rotation in the range of those for peptide bond isomerization (ΔG≠≈20 kcal mol−1). Barriers to rotation of 1,4‐diethynylbutatrienes are higher (ΔG≠≈25 kcal mol−1), allowing in some cases the isolation of pure isomers. Both UV/VIS spectroscopy (Figs. 2 and 3) and electrochemical studies (Table) demonstrate that the all‐C‐cores in diethynyl‐ and tetraethynylbutatrienes have strong electron‐acceptor properties that are greatly enhanced with respect to those of diethynyl‐ and tetraethynylethenes with two C(sp)‐atoms less. Substitution with peripheral electron donor groups leads to efficient intramolecular charge‐transfer interactions, as evidenced by intense, bathochromically shifted longest‐wavelength bands in the UV/VIS spectra.