This work describes the synthesis of a series of tricyclic lactones based on 4-hydroxy-1,3-thiazoles prepared by the classic Hantzsch synthesis. The tricyclic lactones are more rigid than the parent 4-hydroxythiazoles and are featured not only by fluorescence in solution, but also in the solid state. An extension of the chromophoric system was successfully realized by integration of the benzothiazole substructure, thus resulting in bathochromic shifts of absorption and also fluorescence. The new synthesized lactones additionally show interesting properties in solution, whereby the initial blue fluorescence changes dramatically with a variation of the pH value.Key words: heterocycles, chromophores, fused-ring systems, thiazole, fluorescence 4-Hydroxy-1,3-thiazoles and their derivatives have been intensively studied in the last few years, because they represent a new class of functional fluorophores.
1,2In addition, they form the substructure of several natural products and were chosen by nature as part of the chemical compound responsible for the dual luminescence of the firefly (lampyridae).
3The remarkable spectroscopic properties of this heterocycle as fluorophore and chromophore, and its easy feasibility of functionalization enable the development of a variety of novel applications. They have been used as novel ligands for metal complexes, emitting polymers, dyes, and sensors. [4][5][6][7][8] Furthermore, it is known that the extension of the π-system attached to the thiazole ring by substitution with aromatic heterocycles allows the modification of its photophysical properties.
3,7Consequently, we were interested in the synthesis of a new class of thiazole-based derivatives containing a ringfused π-system. The reaction of dimethyl α-bromohomophthalate with various thioamides should be suitable in order to obtain annulated thiazoles by intramolecular esterification. In contrast to most of the fluorescent dyes described in literature, 9 these novel thiazole derivatives are highly fluorescent in solution as well as in the solid state. Solid-state fluorescence attracts a lot of attention because of its applicability as an emitter material in organic electroluminescence devices (OLEDs), solid-state dye lasers and sensor materials, and the potential use in the construction of optoelectronic devices. 9,10 It is well known that the photophysical properties of these compounds depend strongly on the nature of their conjugated π-system, their geometry in the solid state, and their packing in the crystal.
10c,dThe tricyclic lactones based on 4-hydroxy-1,3-thiazoles were synthesized according to the classic Hantzsch synthesis 3 in moderate up to good yields (79%). As depicted in Scheme 1, different thioamides 2 react with dimethyl α-bromohomophthalate (1) in DMF in the presence of triethylamine at 120°C to furnish the tricyclic lactones 4. In order to get more information about the influence of an extended π-system, the benzo[d]thiazole-2-carbothioamides 3 were used to obtain the lactones 5. The new tricycli...