MOLECULON RESEARCH CORPORATION PROPOSES A PROGRAM FOR MORE COMPLETE SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW CATEGORY OFPLANAR, POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUNDS RELATED TO PORPHYRINS AND PHTHALOCYANINES BUT HAVING DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT MOLECULAR SYMMETRY ,

MOLECULON RESEARCH CORPORATION PROPOSES A PROGRAM FOR MORE COMPLETE SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW CATEGORY OFPLANAR, POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUNDS RELATED TO PORPHYRINS AND PHTHALOCYANINES BUT HAVING DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT MOLECULAR SYMMETRY , CHELATING CAPABILITIES, AND OXIDATION STATES. DISCOVERED BY MOLECULON, THE PARENT COMPOUND IS TETRACYCLO-1,4'-BENZIMIDAZOLE. ACIDIFIED TETRABENZIMIDAZOLE SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO POSSES STRIKING VISIBLE- VISIBLE FLOURESCENCE, WITH ABSORPTION AND RE-EMISSION OF REDLIGHT. A COMPOUND WHICH IS PROBABLY THE COPPER CHELATE OF TETRABENZIMIDAZOLE HAS ALSO BEEN PREPARED. A BETTER METHOD OF SYNTHESIS FOR THE MONOMER, 2,3-DIAMINOBENZOIC ACID, IS IS NEEDED, THE CONDITIONS FOR TETRAMERIZATION ARE TO BE FURTHER EXPLORED, AND PURIFICATION TECHNIQUES ADEQUATE TO PRODUCE ANALYTICALLY PURE TETRABENZIMIDAZOLE MUST THEN BE OPTIMIZED. PHASE I WILL CONCENTRATE ON THESE STUDIES. IF SUCCESFUL, A PHASE II PROGRAM WILL BE PROPOSED TO @ INVESTIGATE SUCH TETRABENZIMIDAZOLE APPLICATIONS AS PHTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY CONVERTERS, ORGANIC CONDUCTORS AND SEMICONDUCTORS, FLOURESCENT DYES AND PIGMENTS, WAVELENGTH SHIFTERS FOR LASERS, BROAD SPECTRUM CHELATING AGENTS, AND REDOX CATALYSTS.