Synthesis of Unsymmetrically Functionalized Violanthrenes by Reductive Aromatization of Violanthrone 79

The commercially available n-type semiconductive dye Violanthrone 79 was used as starting material to synthesize previously unexplored substituted violanthrenes through a reductive aromatization and functionalization strategy. By using the low-cost reducing agents zinc and sodium dithionite in combination with suitable electrophilic trapping reagents, three violanthrenes functionalized with two pivalyloxy, trimethylsiloxy, or methoxy groups were selectively obtained in high yields. Due to their octyl ether moieties, these new red dyes are highly soluble. They were characterized by means of UV/vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, and their redox properties were studied by cyclic voltammetry. The spectroscopically determined frontier molecular orbital energies are compared to those calculated by density functional theory and suggest that electron-deficient Violanthrone 79 was transformed into three electron-rich violanthrenes with molecular characteristics typically observed in molecular precursors for p-type organic semiconductors.