Design of Indole-Functionalized Phosphepines towards New Organic Chromophores

Abstract

Organic chromophores emerged as diverse functional materials in the areas of organic catalysis, toxic materials sensing, bio-imaging, and organic electronic devices. With rich chemical and electronic structures, main-group elements were extensively implanted in organic chromophores to fine tune the chemical/electronic structures and optoelectronic properties. In this synpact article, we present a concise overview about the development of phosphorus (P)-containing organic chromophores, further highlighting our recent contribution in the field. A new aspect of combining P element and indole moiety was pursued to construct a new series of seven-membered P-organic chromophores, namely indole-functionalized phosphepines. The new combination endowed the system with rich chemical and electronic structures, in which intriguing photophysical properties were consequently revealed. The combination not only provided an efficient synthetic protocol to access new P-heterocycles, also as offered a new strategy to design functional organic chromophores.