Indigo (1) is an iconic organic molecule. Used as a textile pigment for thousands of years, this compound remains an industrially important chemical as the main colorant for blue jeans. However, applications of indigo compounds beyond the textile industry have only just begun to emerge - despite several attractive features endemic to this molecule (colour, shape, stability, cost).[1] We have discovered that the carbonyl groups of indigo can be easily converted into imines and the corresponding di-imines (2) have a rich coordination chemistry. Furthermore the ligands and complexes have an inredibly diverse and interesting set of redox and spectroscopic properties.[2] In this presentation I will describe my group’s recent progress in developing the inorganic and organic chemsitry of indigo, as well as the design and discovery of a new indigo-inspired chromophore/ligand. [1] Adv. Mater. 2013, 25, 6783. [2] (a) Inorg. Chem. 2011, 50, 9826; (b) Chem. Sci. 4, 612.

Indigo coordination and color chemistry: New ligands, new complexes, and new materials from a very, very old dog

249th National Meeting (2015)

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