Abstract
In this study, a new approach for the synthesis of substituted aza-anthraquinones has been developed. The SnCl2 catalyzed reaction of 2-amino-4H-chromen-4-one with 2-benzylidenemalononitriles provides the corresponding substituted aza-anthraquinone analogs via a Michael addition–elimination followed by intramolecular cyclization in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the synthesized compounds 3a–3l were analyzed for their preliminary photo physical properties (absorption and emission spectra) in CHCl3 at 100 μM. Among the compounds (3a–3l), the compounds 3c and 3b exhibited larger emission band maxima toward bathochromic shifts at 488 nm and 468 nm, respectively.
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