Synthetic Chemistry of Acenes and Heteroacenes

Acenes, linearly fused aromatic hydrocarbons, have been the subjects of extensive research because of interesting electronic properties associated with their linear delocalized π-system. The potential applications of these acene-based materials in electronic devices such as field-effect transistor (FET), light-emitting diode (LED) and solar cell have been recently exploited. This review will focus on the synthetic approaches toward acenes and heteroacenes, and in particular, some new synthetic strategies towards higher order acenes and heteroacenes will be highlighted.