BIS(TETRATHIAFULVALENES) AND TRIS(TETRATHIAFULVALENES) (TTFS) DERIVED FROM REACTIONS OF THE TTF-THIOLATE ANION

A range of new bis- and tris-TTF derivatives has been prepared using the TTF-thiolate anion 2 as a key intermediate. Thiolate anion 2 reacts with 2-bromoethanol to yield alcohol 3 from which the bis- and tris-TTF systems 4-7 have been obtained by reaction with the appropriate acid chloride. Subsequent reactions of the malonate anion of dimeric TTF 7 yield derivatives 8-10, which include the amphiphilic system 8. Thiolate anion 2 reacts with bis- and tris(bromomethyl)benzene to yield bis- and tris-TTF derivatives 11 and 12, respectively. Thioester 13, which serves as a shelf-stable precursor of thiolate anion 2, has been used in the synthesis of bis-TTF systems 17 and 18. The solution electrochemistry of the new multi-TTF derivatives has been studied by cyclic voltammetry, which reveals that the TTF moieties do not interact to any significant extent.