The ADIMET Reaction: Synthesis and Properties of Poly(dialkyl para phenyleneethynylene)s

Abstract

A mixture of molybdenum hexacarbonyl and 4-chlorophenol is effective in performing alkyne metathesis of dipropynylated dialkylbenzenes. Alkyne metathesis of these precursors leads to the clean formation of dialkyl poly( paraphenyleneethynylene)s (PPEs) in high yield and with high molecular weights. This facile yet effective access to the PPEs has allowed study of their spectroscopic, structural, and thermal properties. While PPEs have been made before, the dialkyl-PPEs turned out to have particularly interesting optical and liquidcrystalline properties that can be explained in terms of the conformation of the main chains. The PPEs have also been utilized to construct light-emitting diodes and other semiconductor devices. This chapter discusses the interplay of structure, chromicity, and electronic properties of the dialkyl-PPEs. 7.1