Synthesis of substituted dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazines and a new heterocyclic dipyrido[3,2-f:2′,3′-h]quinoxalino[2,3-b]quinoxaline

Three new α,α′-diimine ligands were synthesized based on condensation of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione with 1,2-phenylenediamine derivatives using different approaches. All compounds were fully characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR, UV–visible, and MS spectroscopies. We report the first example of a dipyrido[3,2-f:2′,3′-h]quinoxalino[2,3-b]quinoxaline, which exhibits a strong absorption at 430 nm and an interesting electrochemical behavior. These new molecules may have biological potential and are of synthetic and technological importance.