Selective functionalization protocols of naphtho[1,2-b;5,6-b']dithiophene (NDT3) by combining protection of the thiophene α-positions and direct borylation on the naphthalene core are described, which allows synthesizing a number of new NDT3-based building blocks with various substituents and isomeric NDT3-based polymers with different main chain structures. The same protocol is applicable to other isomeric naphthodithiophenes (NDTs), which affords a set of key building blocks for the development of elaborated functional π-materials.

The direct borylation reactions of two types of α-silyl-protected acenedichalcogenophenes, i.e., benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']- and naphtho[1,2-b:5,6-b']dichalcogenophenes, were examined, and it was observed that the reaction efficiency largely depends on the fused ring structure and chalcogenophene ring.