Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of latent pigments in water/toluene emulsion under aerobic atmosphere

Latent pigments, a class of thermosensitive dyes that can be reverted to insoluble pigments via thermal treatment, are a well-established component of high performance inks which find uses in OLEDs and organic solar cells. Their synthesis is challenging due to the thermal sensitivity of the protection group. Cross coupling reactions in micellar environments enable synthesis at room temperature in water as the solvent. In the case of latent pigments, it was found that the use of a 10% by volume co-solvent in combination with a water solution of the cheap surfactant Kolliphor EL provides an excellent environment for Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling with unprecedented yields and very short reaction times. Remarkably, reactions are insensitive to the atmosphere, affording excellent results both under nitrogen and oxygenated atmosphere