Highly Selective Route to Unsymmetrically Substituted 1-{2-[(Butylsulfanyl)methyl]-5-(chloromethyl)-4-methoxyphenoxy}-3,7-dimethyloctane and Isomers toward Synthesis of Conjugated Polymer OC1C10 Used in LEDs: Synthesis and Optimization

A new and convenient route to an unsymmetrically substituted sulfinyl monomer of precursor polymer toward poly[2-methyl-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (OC1C10) is described. OC1C10 is a commercial polymer used as the active layer in LEDs. Therefore, the optimization of the reaction conditions of the monomer synthesis was of some importance for a possible commercialization of this new process. It was possible to increase the overall yield by a factor of 1.5, as compared to the route previously used to obtain these compounds.