Eumelanin-inspired core derived from vanillin: a new building block for organic semiconductors.

An eumelanin-inspired core derived from the natural product, vanillin (vanilla bean extract) was utilized for the synthesis of eumelanin-inspired small molecules and polymer via Sonogashira cross coupling. The materials demonstrate that the methyl 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxy-N-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylate core can serve as a new building block for organic semiconductors.