SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF 2,3,6,7-TETRAKIS (ALKOXYMETHYL)TETRATHIAFULVALENES

A family of newly prepared tetrakis(alkoxymethyl)-substituted tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives 1 show melting point behavior typical for increasing length of their flexible alkyl chains and molecular weights. No evidence for the formation of a stable,liquid crystalline mesophase was found. The X-ray crystal structure of 1 (n = 7) shows it to have a flat central core. Its anodic reactivity is entirely parallel to that of tetrathiafulvalene itself. The dark conductivity of a thin film of 1 (n = 7) is sensitive to temperature, with dark conductivity being enhanced at higher temperatures by as much as 5 orders of magnitude from the level observed in previously studied TTFs. Short-circuit photocurrent is observed in a symmetrical ITO sandwich cell containing a thin layer of 1 (n = 7): in such a cell, charge can be separated under bias and maintained for at least 8 h.