Tertiary Amines Differentiated from Primary and Secondary Amines by Active Ester-Functionalized Hexabenzoperylene in Field Effect Transistors.

Herein, we report two novel derivatives of hexabenzoperylene (HBP) that are functionalized with ester groups. Methyl acetate functionalized HBP (1) in single crystals self-assembles into a supramolecular nanosheet, which has a two-dimensional π-stack of HBP sandwiched between two layers of ester groups. With the same self-assembly motif, active ester-functionalized HBP (2) in field effect transistors has enabled differentiation of tertiary amines from primary and secondary amines, in agreement with the fact that active ester reacts with primary and secondary amines but not with tertiary amines to form amides.