Fluorinated Tetraarylethenes: Universal Tags for the Synthesis of Solid State Luminogens

The aggregation-induced emission properties of tetraarylethenes (TAEs) have led to numerous applications in chemistry, biology, and materials science. Herein, we describe two fluorinated tetraarylethenes, which can be employed as universal tags for the synthesis of solid state luminogens. The tags are accessible in one or two steps from commercially available starting materials. Facile coupling reactions with ubiquitous substrates such as thiols, alcohols, amines, phosphines, aldehydes, and enamines allow preparing a wide range of TAE conjugates, including tagged amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, steroids, and commercial polymers.