Pyrrolo-tetrathiafulvalenes and their applications in molecular and supramolecular chemistry

Although tetrathiafulvalene and its derivatives have been extensively studied as pi-electron donors in the fields of molecular organic metals and electrically conducting materials for more than 30 years, the intriguing potential of tetrathiafulvalene as a building block in molecular and supramolecular chemistry has only recently been developed. Progress in synthetic tetrathiafulvalene chemistry has enabled the preparation of elaborate molecular architectures and, in recent years, tetrathiafulvalene has been incorporated into a number of molecular and supramolecular systems. In this microreview we describe the background to our interest in the development of the parent pyrrolo-tetrathiafulvalenes, followed by a journey through their applications in macrocyclic, molecular, and supramolecular chemistry. (C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co.