Synthesis of tetrathiafulvalenes suitable for self-assembly applications

A series of new tetrathiafulvalenes, with double alkylthiol or alkyldisulfide substitution, have been prepared with a synthetic procedure that allows variation of different substituents. The target compounds 6a-e and 15e-i are sparsely soluble in organic solvents, but TTFs 6d and 15g gave a relatively dense packed monolayer upon exposure to gold surfaces.