Synthesis, crystal structures and photoluminescence of anthracen- and pyrene-based coumarin derivatives

•Two new anthracen- and pyrene-based coumarin derivatives were synthesized and characterized.•3-(4-(Anthracen-10-yl)phenyl)coumarin exhibits blue emission.•3-(4-(Pyrene-1-yl)phenyl)coumarin exhibits bright blue-green emission.

Two new anthracen- and pyrene-based coumarin derivatives, 3-(4-(anthracen-10-yl)phenyl)coumarin (4) and 3-(4-(pyrene-1-yl)phenyl)coumarin (5), were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, element analysis and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra of these coumarin derivatives were investigated. The results show that compound 4 and 5 exhibit blue and blue-green emissions, respectively, under ultraviolet light excitation. Compared with the compound 4, the emission peak of compound 5 was bathochromically shifted by about 80 nm due to the more planar structure and larger π-conjugation.

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