Synthesis of soluble oligo(2,5-dioctyloxyphenylene)s by mild oxidative coupling

Oligo(2,5-dioctyloxyphenylene)s, with DP = 6-7, have been synthesized in one step from 1,4-dioctyloxybenzene by the Scholl reaction using molybdenum pentachloride as an oxidative agent. The structural characterization by C-13-NMR, UV-vis and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy has shown that in optimized reaction conditions oligo(2,5-dioctyloxyphenylene)s with their monomer units predominantly connected in para position are formed. Noteworthy are the Cl atom content < 1 mol% and the intense emission centered around 400 nm which make these oligo(2,5-dioctyloxyphenylene)s appealing functional materials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.