A one-pot reaction to synthesize two types of fluorescent materials containing benzothiazolyl moiety.

Two different types of fluorescent materials containing benzothiazolyl moiety, 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol derivatives and 3-(benzothiazol-2-yl)coumarin derivatives, were synthesized synchronously using ethyl cyanoacetate, appropriate aromatic aldehyde and 2-aminothiophenol as the starting materials under the catalysis of benzoic acid by one-pot reaction. This method has the advantages of mild reaction conditions, easy processing and low waste. All synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, (1)H NMR spectra. The structures of 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol derivatives, 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol (BTP) and 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)naphthol (BTN), were determined by X-ray single crystal analysis. The UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra of all synthesized compounds were investigated. The 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol derivatives exhibit bright green emissions and 3-(benzothiazol-2-yl)coumarin derivatives emit bright blue light in solutions.