Substituted phenanthropyrans

A photochromic phenanthropyran compound corresponding to Formula (I) or Formula (II):

• wherein
• m is a whole number from 0 to 3;
• R1, R3, R4 and R5 are each independently hydrogen or a substituent selected from the group α consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, hydroxy, silyloxy, a linear or branched (C1-C6) alkyl group, a (C3-C7) cycloalkyl group, a linear or branched (C1-C6) alkoxy group, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyl, benzyloxy, naphthyl, naphthoxy, phenanthryl and pyridyl, each of which may be substituted with one, two or three substituents independently selected from the group β consisting of a linear or branched (C1-C6) alkyl group, a (C3-C7) cycloalkyl group, a linear or branched (C1-C6) alkoxy group, hydroxy, t-butyldiphenylsilyloxy, amino, di(C1-C6)alkylamino, nitro, cyano, benzyl, 4-methoxybenzyl, 4-nitrobenzyl, phenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 4-dimethylaminophenyl, pyridyl and pyrimidinyl, or an NR6R7 group wherein R6 and R7 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a linear or branched (C1-C6) alkyl group, a (C3-C7) cycloalklyl group, phenyl and benzyl, wherein phenyl and benzyl optionally may be substituted with at least one substituent selected from the group β, or wherein R6 and R7 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form an azaadamantyl group or a 3- to 10-membered nitrogen heterocyclic group optionally substituted with a linear or branched (C1-C6) alkyl group, and wherein the nitrogen heterocyclic group optionally contains one or more heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of O, S and NR8, wherein R8 is selected from hydrogen or the group β, and wherein the nitrogen heterocyclic group optionally is annellated with one or two benzene rings;
• or
• two adjacent R5 groups together form an unsubstituted, monosubstituted or disubstituted annellated benzene ring, the substituents of which are independently selected from the group α or an NR6R7 group as defined above;
• or
• R3 and R4 together form an unsubstituted, monosubstituted or disubstituted, annellated benzene ring with the formation of a triphenylenepyran, the substituents of which are independently selected from the group α or an NR6R7 group as defined above;
• R2 is hydrogen or a substituent of the group α, or an NR6R7 group as defined above, or quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, thienyl, benzothienyl, dibenzothienyl, furanyl, benzofuranyl, dibenzofuranyl, carbazolyl, phenothiazinyl, phenoxazinyl, oxazolyl, benzoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, thiazolyl, benzothiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, triazolyl, tetrazolyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl, acetyl, benzoyl, cyano, formyl, iminomethyl, 1-iminoaminomethyl, N-hydroxyiminomethyl, methyleneamino, cyanamino, cyanomethyl, dicyanomethyl, carboxy, carboxymethyl, (C1-C6)-acyloxy, (C1-C6)-alkoxycarbonyl, (C1-C6)-alkoxycarbonylmethyl, phenoxycarbonyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, nitro, diazophenyl, aminocarbonyl, ethenyl, 4-ethenylphenyl, ethinyl or 4-ethinylphenyl, or a cationic structure formed from a N-(C1-C6)-alkylpyridinio, 1-pyridinio, N-(C1-C6)-alkylquinolinio, 1-quinolinio, N-(C1-C6)-alkylisoquinolinio, 2-isoquinolinio, iminomethyl or 1-iminioaminomethyl group, with an associated anion selected from the group consisting of chloride, bromide, sulfate, hydrogen sulfate, tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate, mesylate, tosylate and triflate;
• the foregoing substituents, as far as possible, each having one, two, three or four substituents selected from the group β;
• or
• R1 and R2 in Formula (I), or R1 and R2, or R2 and R3 in Formula (II) form an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring annellated to the phenanthrene unit and selected from a benzene ring, a pyridine ring, an indole ring, a benzofuryl ring, a benzothienyl ring, a thienyl ring, a furyl ring and a pyrimidinyl ring, each of which optionally may be substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group α, and, in the case of an indole ring, a benzofuryl ring or a benzothienyl ring, the annellation to the phenanthrene framework takes place through the 5-membered heterocyclic ring;
• or
• R2 together with an R5 group in the 10-position of the phenanthrene system of Formula (I) forms an annellated benzene ring to yield a pyrenopyran corresponding to Formula (III):
• or an annellated pyrido ring, wherein the nitrogen atom replaces the carbon atom bonded to R9 or R10, wherein the annellated benzene ring optionally may be substituted with the groups R9 and R10 and the annellated pyrido ring optionally may be substituted with an R9 group, wherein R9 or R9 and R10 are independently selected from the group α, or wherein R9 and R10 in Formula (III) together form an annellated, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring selected from the group consisting of a benzene ring, a pyridine ring, an indole ring, a benzofuryl ring, a benzothienyl ring, a thienyl ring, a furyl ring and a pyrimidinyl ring, each of which optionally may be substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group α, and in the case of an indole ring, a benzofurinyl ring or a benzothienyl ring, the annellation takes place through the 5-membered heterocyclic ring;
• and
• B and B′ are independently selected from unsubstituted, monosubstituted or disubstituted phenyl, ethinyl, ethenyl, naphthyl, furanyl, benzofuranyl, thienyl, benzothienyl and julolidinyl, wherein the substituents are selected from the group consisting of the group α, an NR6R7 group as defined above, ethenyl, 4-ethenylphenyl, ethinyl and 4-ethinylphenyl, wherein the foregoing substituents, as far as possible, each independently optionally may be substituted with two or three substituents selected from the group β, or wherein two directly adjacent substituents represent a Y—(CH2)q—Z group, in which q represents 1, 2 or 3, and Y and Z, each independently represent oxygen, sulfur, NCH3, NPh, CH2, C(CH3)2 or C(C6H5)2, or
• B and B′ together represent an unsubstituted, monosubstituted or disubstituted 9-spirofluorene, wherein the fluorene substituents are selected from the group β, or
• B and B′ together represent a saturated hydrocarbon, which is C3-C12 spiromonocyclic, C7-C12 spirobicyclic or C7-C12 spirotricyclic.