7, 8-Dichlorobenzo[ghi]perylenetriimide: A versatile synthon for bay-substituted π-extended perylene dyes

Abstract Bay-substituted perylene diimide (PDI) dyes are a subject of great interest in both industrial and academic domains in the past decades. As important laterally extended derivatives of PDI dyes, benzo[ ghi ]perylenetriimides (BPTIs) have attracted much attention as non-fullerene acceptors, but their scope for applications has been limited by the lack of substitutions at the remaining two bay positions. Herein, we reported a facile synthesis of a novel, highly valuable synthon, 7, 8-dichlorobenzo[ghi]perylenetriimide ( 2 ), with two easy leaving chlorine groups at the remaining bay area, which can be further substituted by other functionalized groups through various synthetic strategies. Due to foreseeable applications of core-functionalized BPTIs, this unique synthon is anticipated to open up a fresh ground for optoelectronic materials.