Novel thiophene oligomers containing a redox active hexaarylethane unit.

[structure: see text] Novel thiophene oligomers containing a redox active hexaarylethane unit have been prepared as a new class of molecular wires having a large electrochemical bistability and definitely characterized by using single-crystal X-ray structure analysis and redox potential measurements. They constitute reversible redox pairs with the corresponding bis(thioxanthyl) dications by undergoing C-C bond making/breaking. They show unique electrochromism and a fluorescence change during interconversion.