Design and synthesis of near-infrared absorbing pigments. I. Use of Pariser–Parr–Pople molecular orbital calculations for the identification of near-infrared absorbing pigment candidates

The usefulness of the Pariser–Parr–Pople molecular orbital method for the identification of near-infrared absorbing pigment candidates for photogenerator applications is outlined. Several pigments based on the well-known class of photogenerators N,N′-dialkyl-3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimides were investigated and pigments of the dibenzoperylene, bisanthene, and zethrene classes were identified as the most promising candidates of the series. On the basis of the predictions, 7,8,15,16-dibenzo[a, j]perylenetetracarboxylic diimide was prepared and the validity of the calculations was verified.