title: A new class of organic donor-acceptor molecules with large third-order optical nonlinearities.
abstract: Donor-acceptor molecules with 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl donor and 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-diene acceptor moieties are readily prepared by short, high-yielding routes. The quite small chromophores are characterised by X-ray crystallography and feature intense intramolecular charge-transfer bands, substantial quinoid character in the donor rings, reversible electrochemical reductions and oxidations and powerful third-order optical nonlinearities.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, ETH-Hönggerberg, CH-8093 Zürich, Zwitzerland.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Michinobu
authors.forename: Joshua C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Jin H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boudon
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gisselbrecht
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seiler
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Biaggio
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diederich