Solid-State Emissive Aroyl-S,N-Ketene Acetals with Tunable Aggregation-Induced Emission Characteristics

N-Benzyl aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals can be readily synthesized by condensation of aroyl chlorides and N-benzyl 2-methyl benzothiazolium salts in good to excellent yields, yielding a library of 35 chromophores with bright solid-state emission and aggregation-induced emission characteristics. Varying the substituent from electron-donating to electron-withdrawing enables the tuning of the solid-state emission color from deep blue to red.