Synthesis and characterization of oligo(heteroarylene vinylene)s incorporating furan and thiophene moieties

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of a series of homologous conjugated dimers and trimers bearing alkenyl moieties between furan and/or thiophene heterocycles, linked through their 2,5- positions, and a terminal aldehyde group. A tetramer was also isolated and characterized. These oligomers constitute:

1. useful model compounds for the corresponding conjugated homo- and co-polymers,

2. interesting molecular structures for electroluminescence and other optoelectronic applications, and

3. potential precursors to more specific compounds (e.g. liquid crystals or photosensitive species) thanks to the terminal aldehyde function.

Author Keywords: conjugated oligomers; furans; thiophenes