Synthesis and self-assembly of dibenzo[jk,mn]naphtho[2,1,8-fgh]thebenidinium derivates

A novel synthetic method toward nitrogen containing positively charged dibenzo[jk,mn]naphtho[2,1,8-fgh]thebenidinium (DBNT, 1) salts was developed. In this method, the undehydrogenated precursor of DBNT, 14-phenyl-14-dibenzo[a,j]acridinium salt (6), was produced directly from the reaction between 14-phenyl-14-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenylium (2) and amine/aniline in reasonable yield. Various DBNT salts with different alkyl and alkylphenyl chains were synthesized in this two-step method. The self-assembly behavior of two alkylated DBNT salts, 1c and 1f, was studied in this work. Due to the different substituents and counterions, compound 1c formed nanoscale wirelike fibers, and helical aggregates were obtained from 1f, in their methanolic solutions.