Coronenediimides Synthesized via ICl-Induced Cyclization of Diethynyl Perylenediimides

Treating diethynyl-substituted perylenediimides with ICl successfully induced an annulation reaction and generated a series of coronenediimide derivatives. Instead of the expected iodine-substituted cyclization product, chlorine-substituted analogues were produced. The mechanism of this annulation reaction thus necessarily involved a chlorine addition step prior to the aromatic substitution reaction. With facile subsequent transformations, various tetraaryl coronenediimides could be obtained via the annulated chloro-substituted coronenediimide.