Photochemical Conversion of Phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles into π-Expanded Heterocycles

We discovered that phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles bearing a 2-halogenoaryl substituent at position 2 undergo swift photochemically driven direct arylation, leading to barely known phenanthro[9',10':4,5]imidazo[1,2-f]phenanthridines. The reaction is high-yielding, and it does not require any sensitizer or base. The discovered process is tolerant of a variety of substituents present both at positions 1 and 2; i.e., strongly electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents are tolerated as well as various heterocyclic units. Steric hindrance does not affect this process. The evidence gathered here indicates that SRN1 mechanism is operating in this case with the formation of radical anion as a critical step, followed by heterolytic cleavage of a carbon-halogen bond. Also TfO groups were shown to undergo cyclization, which allows the use of salicylaldehydes in the construction of heterocyclic systems. Efficiency of this photochemically driven direct arylation has been demonstrated by the synthesis of two systems possessing 13 and 17 conjugated rings, respectively. Phenanthro[9',10':4,5]imidazo[1,2-f]phenanthridines are blue-emitters, and they exhibit strong fluorescence in solution and in the solid state in direct contrast to their precursors.