Glycerol as Reaction Medium for Sonogashira Couplings: A Green Approach for the Synthesis of New Triarylamine‐Based Materials with Potential Application in Optoelectronics

This study focuses on the design, eco‐friendly synthesis, and characterization of several novel three‐legged triphenylamine derivatives. By performing Sonogashira couplings of functionalized aryl iodides with tris(4‐ethynylphenyl)amine in glycerol, a readily available bio‐derived solvent, we achieved the synthesis of target products in short times and high yields, up to 94 %, with consistently lower E‐factors and reduced costs compared to standard conditions using toluene as the reaction medium. The target molecules possess a D‐(π‐A)₃ or D‐(π‐D)₃ structure, where an electron‐donating core connects to three electron‐donating (D) or electron‐accepting (A) peripheral aromatic subunits through an acetylene spacer. Their main optical and electronic properties have been determined experimentally and by DFT simulations and suggest a possible implementation in energy conversion technologies such as luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this paper, we present an innovative method using glycerol as a green solvent for Sonogashira reactions, achieving high yields for the synthesis of triphenylamine derivatives. Compared to traditional organic solvents, glycerol accelerates reaction times and simplifies product purification. This versatile approach tolerates diverse functional groups opening new avenues for sustainable syntheses of functional materials with potential applications in optoelectronics.