N,N′-Unsubstituted Naphthodithiophene Diimide: Synthesis and Derivatization via N-Alkylation and -Arylation

An efficient and scalable method for the synthesis of N,N′-unsubstituted naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b′]dithiophene-4,5,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (NDTI) was newly developed, and the compound was utilized in the Mitsunobu reaction and copper-catalyzed coupling reaction with phenyl boronic acids to synthesize a range of N-alkyl- and phenyl-substituted NDTI derivatives. The new synthetic protocol to NDTI derivatives is advantageous over the previously reported one in terms of the amenability to large-scale synthesis and compatibility with the synthesis of a wide range of N-alkyl and phenyl derivatives, which can in turn pave the way to wide application of NDTI derivatives into electronic materials.