Transition-Metal-Free ipso-Arylative Condensation

The development of economical synthetic methods remains an important step toward the widespread use of conjugated polymers. Most well-established methods require either prefunctionalization with organometallic reagents or the use of expensive transition-metal catalysts. We have shown that 2-hydroxyalkyl- and 2-hydroxyaryl-substituted thiazole N-oxides can proceed through an ipso-arylative condensation that yields bithiazole-containing conjugated small molecules and polymers. The use of 2-hydroxyaryl substituents enables access to a wide scope of thiazole N-oxide substrates and presents an economical route to the synthesis of bithiazole-based conjugated polymers with varying physical and electronic properties.