Strong Ground‐ and Excited‐State Charge Transfer in <i>C₃</i>‐Symmetric Truxene‐Derived Phenothiazine‐Tetracyanobutadine and Expanded Conjugates

Abstract

The C₃ -symmetric star-shaped phenothiazene-substituted truxene 1 was reacted with the electron acceptors tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). The cycloaddition-retroelectrocyclization reaction yields the conjugates 2 and 3. A combination of spectral, electrochemical, and photophysical investigations of 2 and 3 reveals that the functionalization of the triple bond has a pronounced effect on their ground and excited-state interactions. Specifically, the existence of strong ground-state interactions between phenothiazine and the electron-accepting groups results in charge-transfer states, while subsequent ultrafast charge separation yields electron transfer products. This is unprecedented not only in phenothiazine chemistry but also in tetracyanobutadiene- and dicyanoquinodimethane-derived donor-acceptor conjugates. Additionally, by manipulating spectroelectrochemical data, a spectrum of the charge-separated species is construed for the first time, and shown to be highly useful in interpreting the rather complex transient spectra.