Blue Glow Sticks: Cinnamic Acids and Arylacrylonitriles with Liquid-Crystalline Properties and Highly Fluorescent

Five new π-conjugated chromophores derived from acrylic acid and acrylonitrile were synthesized and their thermal and photophysical behaviors were analyzed. They were designed and synthesized through Knoevenagel condensations between arylacetylenebenzaldehydes and a methylene group activated from cyanoacetic and malonic acids. The characterization of the target compounds was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), absorption and emission spectroscopy techniques. Arylcinnamic acids were obtaine...