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[reaction: see text] Synthesis of electroactive tris(tetrathiafulvaleno)dodecadehydro[18]annulenes with ester substituents has been carried out with palladium-mediated cyclotrimerization of 4,5-diethynyl-TTFs. The TTF[18]annulenes produce stacked dimmers in solution and exhibit solvatochromism and thermochromism. The TTF[18]annulene-hexabutyl ester forms a molecular wire from an aqueous THF solution with cooperative S-S and pi-pi stacking interactions.

Nonaphenylenes and dodecaphenylenes have been synthesized by using electron-transfer oxidation of Lipshutz cuprates with duroquinone. Oxidation of the Lipshutz cuprate derived from 4,4''-dibromo-o-terphenyl 3a in THF produced nonaphenylene 1a in 46% yield, whereas the similar oxidation of the Lipshutz cuprates derived from 4,4''-diiodo-4',5'-dialkyl-o-terphenyls 3b-d in ether afforded the corresponding nonaphenylenes 1b-d and dodecaphenylenes 2b-d in moderate total yields. In the case of 4,4''-diiodo-4',5'-didodecyloxy-o-terphenyl 3e as the starting material, oxidation of the corresponding Lipshutz cuprate in ether or THF only led to the formation of nonaphenylene 1e. Both nonaphenylenes 1a-e and dodecaphenylenes 2b-d are unreactive to light, atmospheric oxygen, and prolonged heating. These oligophenylenes showed strong UV absorption and fluorescent emission and exhibited some redox properties on CV analysis. Moreover, hexadodecyloxynonaphenylene 1e exhibits different nanostructures on the surface and in solution to form a film by casting a solution of 1e in cyclohexane, benzene, chloroform, THF, or diisopropyl ether (IPE) and nanofibers from IPE-MeOH (1:1), indicating different absorption and emission spectra and XRD patterns. The absorption maxima of THF solution, fiber, and film are in the order of 1e film (315 nm) > fiber (302 nm) > solution (295 nm), whereas the emission maxima are in the order of 1e fiber (425 m) > solution (418 nm) > film (401 nm). XRD analysis revealed that 1e aligns laterally on a glass or silicon surface to form a thin film with a lamella structure; however, it forms a nanofiber with a Lego-like stacking structure without pi-pi stacking interaction of the aromatic rings. Reflecting the different nanostructures of the 1e film and fiber, a spin-coated 1e film is found to be effective in detecting the vapor of explosives due to the intercalation of nitroaromatics to the cracked surface of the loosely stacked 1e. In contrast, the 1e fiber is not effective in detection of nitroaromatics but exhibits fluorescence anisotropy. The maximum fluorescence intensity is obtained in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fiber, indicating the stacking direction to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fiber.