Dicyanomethylenated Diaryldihydropentalenediones that Vary Excited State Decay Rates without Changing Emission Wavelengths.

2‐(3,6‐Bis(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐2,2,5,5‐tetramethyl‐4‐oxo‐4,5‐dihydropentalen‐1(2H)‐ylidene)malononitrile (DPM‐An) and 2,2′‐(3,6‐bis(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐2,2,5,5‐tetramethyl‐2,5‐dihydropentalene‐1,4‐diylidene)dimalononitrile (DPD‐An), both bearing the 2,5‐dihydropentalene core and intramolecular electron donor–acceptor moieties, were prepared and subjected to photophysical studies. The absorption spectra of DPM‐An and DPD‐An in CH2Cl2 at room temperature contain maxima at similar wavelengths of 406 and 409 nm, respectively. These substances do not luminesce in CH2Cl2 solution at room temperature, but they do emit light when present in poly(methyl methacrylate) films. Interestingly, DPM‐An and DPD‐An in the film forms display nearly identical emission (EM) spectra with respective maxima at 592 and 594 nm. In contrast, DPD‐An has a longer EM lifetime than does DPM‐An. Therefore, the dihydropentalene derivatives, exemplified by DPM‐An and DPD‐An, may be a family of substances in which excited state decay rate can be varied without changing EM wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]