Novel perylene chromophores obtained by a facile oxidative cyclodehydrogenation route

New perylene chromophores, phenyl-substituted diindeno[1,2,3-cd:1',2',3'-lm]perylenes 5a,b and 4,4',7,7'-tetraphenyldiacenaphtho[1,2-k:1',2',k']diindeno[1,2,3-cd:1',2',3'-me]perylenes 22a,b, have been synthesized from substituted fluoranthene derivatives 3a,b and 4a,b by means of a surprisingly simple oxidative cyclodehydrogenation reaction. The resulting chromophores, when substituted with alkyl chains at the periphery, show good solubility in organic solvents, and a full characterization of the novel red, green, and blue dyes by field-desorption mass spectrometry, UV/Vis and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy becomes possible.