Synthesis of α,ω-Diarylbutadienes and -Hexatrienes via Decarboxylative Coupling of Cinnamic Acids with Vinyl Bromides under Palladium Catalysis

Readily available cinnamic acid derivatives such as ferulic acid couple with beta-bromostyrenes and 1-bromo-4-phenylbutadiene under palladium catalysis accompanied by decarboxylation to produce the corresponding alpha,omega,-diarylbutadienes and -hexatrienes, respectively. Some of the products exhibit solid-state fluorescence.