POLYARYLENES AND POLYARYLENE VINYLENES .6. CYCLOOCTATETRAENYLENE VINYLENES

The replacement of phenylene units by cyclooctatetraenylene units in poly-(phenylenevinylene) leads to compounds such as 1 and 2. The realization of this plan requires the synthesis of suitable cyclooctatetraenes as well as separation of the E/Z isomers of the products. The ''oligo-COT'' compounds may be reduced electrochemically and by alkali metals to polyanions such as 1(8-THETA). The charge density in the COT units thereby increases unsymmetrically. Raising the temperature results, in some cases, in an intramolecular charge shift.