Halogenated anthraquinones useful as near infrared absorbing optical filters, and method of making them

Abstract: High-purity 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinones which are substituted at the p-position of at least one of four anilido benzene rings by a halogen atom are good near infrared rays absorbing filters and are prepared from high purity 1,4,5,8-tetrachloro­ anthraquinone by reaction with a correspondingly substituted aniline or mixture of anilines in the presence of a salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, a benzyl alcohol derivative and copper ions as reaction catalyst.

Description: The present invention relates to optical filtering substances for absorbing in the near infrared, and more particularly to high-purity green halogenated anthraquinones which have absorption bands that rapidly terminate in a limited wavelength range in the near infrared region above 700 nm; the invention further relates to a method of making such anthraquinones. In recent years, various optical and electric devices and measuring equipment have the inclination of diversification and many functions together with the development of electronic technique. In such a circumstance, colorants which have an absorption band in the near infrared region have extended uses such as in near infrared rays absorbing filters for sensors, sunglasses, protective glasses and optical recording media. Particularly, in case of optical filters for the sensors or the like comprising such colorants, there is an increasing demand for filters which do not absorb near infrared rays or laser beams in a certain wavelength range but which absorb and cut out rays in another wavelength range. In order to use colorants in such optical filters, fairly high purity is required. However conventional near infrared rays absorbing colorants have low purity and inadequate absorption characteristics and thus can scarcely be used. Particularly in case of a 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone, the allowable limit of its transmittance in the vicinity of 860 nm is at a level of about 95 to about 96% (a concentration of the dissolved colorant at the time of the transmittance measurement is 4 mg per 100 ml of chloroform). If its transmittance is below this level, the transmission of semiconductor laser beams is hindered noticeably, and therefore it is difficult to use such a colorant as a near infrared rays absorbing filter for measuring equipment and the like where particularly high accuracy is required. The present invention is based on the finding that 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinones which have one of the four anilido benzene rings bearing a chlorine atom have light absorption characteristics suitable for use as near infrared rays absorbing filters, and according to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems can be solved. According to the present invention, there is provided a 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone in pure form of the formula (I) wherein R represents a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched C₁₋₄ alkyl group. The present invention also provides a method for preparing in a pure form, a 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone which comprises the step of reacting 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone with a halogenated aniline, in the presence of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, benzyl alcohol or a derivative thereof and a catalytically effective amount of copper ions. The invention will now be described in more detail by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the drawing, Fig. 1 of which is a graph illustrating transmittance to wavelength of a solution in chloroform of the compounds of Examples 1 and 3 and Comparative Example 1, in which curves 1 ○, 2 ○ and 3 ○ are the absorption curves of the compounds of Example 1, Example 3 and Comparative Example 1 respectively. In the anthraquinone embodying the present invention, one of the four anilido benzene rings is substituted by a chlorine atom, which preferably is in the p-position. The anthraquinones bearing a chlorine atom realise a wave shape of the light absorption of the absorption curves of these compounds which render them very suitable for near infrared rays absorbing filters. That is, the anthraquinones bearing a chlorine atom can mostly absorb the light in the wavelength range of 700 to 800 nm and realise the transmittance curve which is of steeper slope in the vicinity of 800 nm than another anthraquinone bearing no halogen atom. They also possess high transmittance in the 820 to 830 nm and higher wavelength range. With regard to the substitutive position of the chlorine atom and the other substituents (R) on the anilido benzene rings of the anthraquinone, the p-position is preferred. Substitution at the o-position and m-position generally is not desired for an anthraquinone for near infrared rays absorbing optical filters because of the short wavelength shift which results from the steric hindrance which sometimes is created by such substituents. The substituents (R) other than hydrogen present on the anilido benzene rings, preferably in the p-position, are alkyl groups of 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl and isobutyl. The anthraquinones represented by the formula (I) given hereinbefore are preferably prepared by reacting pure, i.e., of at least 95% and more preferably at least 99% purity, 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone, e.g., recrystallized from a solvent such as monochlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, nitrobenzene or the like, with chloroaniline and an aniline derivative represented by the formula (V) wherein R corresponds to R of formula (I). These reagents are reacted in the molar ratio of the anthraquinone to the aniline derivative of formulae (V) employed in the reaction of at least 1:4, in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of copper ions, a salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid and a benzyl alcohol derivative which may bear any substituent. Examples of the salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid which may be used in the preparation of a halogenated 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone according to the present invention, to neutralize the hydrogen chloride produced in the reaction, include alkali metal salts of lower fatty acids, sodium formate, sodium acetate, potassium acetate and potassium propionate, and of these, potassium acetate is particularly preferable. The molar amount of the salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid used is 1 to 10 times, preferably 2 to 5 times that of the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone. The reaction is preferably conducted in the presence of benzyl alcohol or a derivative thereof. The benzyl alcohol derivatives act as activating agents for copper ions. Examples of benzyl alcohol derivatives which can be used in the preparation of the halogenated 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinones include benzyl alcohol, p-chrolobenzyl alcohol, p-methylbenzyl alcohol and 2,4-dimethylbenzyl alcohol. The molar amount of the benzyl alcohol delivative used can vary widely, e.g., from 0.01 to 30 times, preferably one to two times that of the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone. The copper ions used as the catalyst can be supplied from any source, e.g., a copper salt of any organic or inorganic acid which forms copper ions in the reaction mixture. They are preferably supplied, however, by copper sulfate. The molar amount of the source of the copper ions used can vary widely but suitably is 0.1 to one times that of 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone. The starting compounds are reacted with each other with stirring in the presence of the above-mentioned copper ions, salt of an aliphatic acid and benzyl alcohol derivative using the aniline derivatives as the solvent, although a separate solvent such as ethyl cellosolve or the like can be employed. The usual amount of solvent is 15 to 20 times the molar amount of anthraquinone. The reaction is conducted at an elevated temperature, e.g., 80 to 170°C, preferably 100 to 150°C. When the reaction temperature is higher than 170°C, the desired product is liable to decompose and when it is lower than 80°C, unreacted starting materials tend to remain. A reaction period of 5 to 10 hours is usually enough for the reaction to go to completion. The thus obtained halogenated 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone can be isolated from the reaction product in any conventional manner, e.g., precipitation or fractional crystallization by cooling and/or dilution with a liquid in which the desired product is at most sparingly soluble. Because high purity, i.e. at least 95% and preferably at least 99% purity is preferred, the thus obtained product is further purified, e.g., by crystallization from pyridine, thereby preparing the purified product. The present invention is described in further detail by way of the following non-limitative examples. In general, laser beams used for the near infrared rays absorbing filters have a wavelength of 830 nm or more, but the wavelength depends upon use applications. In the following examples, the most usual wavelength of about 860 nm was used to measure the transmittance of compounds represented by the formula (I) given hereinbefore and the estimation was made by comparing absorption wave shapes. Example 1 A mixture of 10.87 parts of 99%-purity 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone recrystallized from chlorobenzene, 27.2 parts of p-toluidine, 31.3 parts of p-chloroaniline, 13.4 parts of potasssium acetate, 1.24 parts of copper sulfate and 3.41 parts of benzyl alcohol was heated to 130°C under a nitrogen gas flow and the reaction mixture was then maintained at this temperature for 6.5 hours. Afterward the reaction mixture was cooled to 70°C and was then poured into 217 parts of ethanol, followed by filtration, ethanol washing, water washing and drying. The resultant crude product was then subjected to recrystallization from pyridine, thereby obtaining 14.2 parts of the desired 1-(p-chloroanilido)-4,5,8-tris(p-methylanilido)anthraquinone (yield = 70%) in high purity. By the use of high-speed liquid chromatography (made by Shimadzu Seisakusho Ltd., SHIM-PACK CLC-ODS column, acetonitrile development, detection at 254 nm), it was confirmed that the purity of the product was 99.5%. In addition, the transmittance at 860 nm of the product in chloroform was 99% (product/chloroform = 4 mg/100 ml). Curve 1 ○ of Fig. 1 denotes the transmittance of the product obtained in Example 1. According to curve 1 ○, the product had absorption bands with keen sensitivity in the near infrared range and allowed most laser beams in the wave range of 840 to 880 nm to be transmitted therethrough, which means that the product was a good near infrared filter. Example 2 The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated with the exception that the p-toluidine was replaced with 38.1 parts of p-n-butylaniline, so that 12.4 parts of desired 1-(p-chloroanilido)-4,5,8-tris(p-n-butylanilido)anthraquinone was obtained (yield = 65%). It was determined by high-speed liquid chromatography that the purity of the product was 99.5%. Furthermore, the transmittance of the product in chloroform at 860 nm was 99.2% (product/chloroform = 4 mg/100 ml). The transmittance curve of the product was nearly identical with that of Example 1, which confirmed that the product was a good near infrared filter. Example 3 (not embraced by the wording of Claim 1) A mixture of 10.87 parts of 99%-purity 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone recrystallized from chlorobenzene, 62.2 parts of p-chloroaniline, 13.4 parts of potassium acetate, 1.24 parts of copper sulfate and 3.41 parts of benzyl alcohol was heated to 130°C under a nitrogen gas flow and the reaction mixture was then maintained at this temperature for 4 hours. Afterward, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and 40.2 parts of p-toluidine was added thereto and reaction was further continued at a temperature of 130°C for 3 hours. Afterwards, the mixture was poured into 217 parts of ethanol, followed by filtration, ethanol washing, water washing and drying. The resultant crude product was then twice subjected to recrystallization from pyridine, thereby obtaining 12.0 parts of desired 1,4-bis(p-chloroanilido)-5,8-bis(p-methylanilido)anthraquinone (yield = 57.3%). By the use of high-speed liquid chromatography, it was confirmed that the purity of the product was 99.0%. In addition, the transmittance at 860 nm of the product in chloroform was 99.6% (product/chloroform = 4 mg/100 ml). Curve 2 ○ of Fig. 1 denotes the transmittance of the product obtained in Example 3. According to curve 2 ○, the product had absorption bands with keen sensitivity in the near infrared range and allowed most laser beams in the wave range of 840 to 880 nm to be transmitted therethrough, which means that the product was a good near infrared filter. Examples 4 and 5 The same procedure as in Example 1 or 3 was repeated to synthesize the compounds shown in Table 1, and yield, purity and transmittance at 860 nm of each product were then measured. The respective substituents A, B, C and D in the table correspond to the chlorine radical and the substituents R, respectively, of formula (I) given hereinbefore. Curves of transmittance indicated that most of the laser beams were transmitted by the products and that the latter were good near infrared filters. Comparative Example 1 (see Expl. 1 of JP-A-61291651) A mixture of 10.87 parts of 99%-purity 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone recrystallized from chlorobenzene, 54.35 parts of p-toluidine, 13.4 parts of potassium acetate, 1.24 parts of copper sulfate and 3.41 parts of benzyl alcohol was heated to 130°C under a nitrogen gas flow and the reaction mixture was then maintained at this temperature for 6.5 hours. Afterward s, the reaction mixture was cooled to 70°C and was then poured into 217 parts of ethanol, followed by filtration, ethanol washing, water washing and drying. The resultant crude product was then recrystallized from pyridine, thereby obtaining 13.8 parts of desired 1,4,5,8-tetrakis(p-methylanilido)anthraquinone (yield = 70%). By the use of a high-speed liquid chromatography (made by Shimadzu Seisakusho Ltd., SHIM-PACK CLC-ODS column, acetonitrile development, detection at 254 nm), the purity of the product was determined to be 99.2%. In addition, the transmittance of the product at 860 nm in chloroform was 99% (product/chloroform = 4 mg/100 ml). Curve 3 ○ of Fig. 1 denotes the transmittance of the product obtained in Comparative Example 1. It can be seen from curve 3 ○, the transmission of the product is poor in the wavelength range of 800-830 nm.

Claims: A 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone in pure form of the formula wherein R represents a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched C₁₋₄ alkyl group. An anthraquinone according to Claim 1, wherein the chlorine atom is at the p-position of the anilido benzene ring. An anthraquinone according to Claim 1, wherein each R is in the p-position of the anilido benzene ring. A method for preparing a 1,4,5,8-tetraanilidoanthraquinone in a highly pure form which comprises the step of reacting 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone with a halogenated aniline in the presence of a salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, benzyl alcohol or a derivative thereof and a catalytically effective amount of copper ions. A method according to Claim 4, wherein the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone of at least 95% purity is reacted with either a monohalogenated aniline or a mixture thereof and an aniline of the formula wherein R corresponds to R of claim 1, in the molar ratio of the anthraquinone to the total anilines of at least 1:4, at an elevated temperature and in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of copper ions, a salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, for example potassium acetate, and a benzyl alcohol derivative or benzyl alcohol per se. A method according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the molar amount of the salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid employed therein is 1 to 10 times that of the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone. A method according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the molar amount of the benzyl alcohol derivative employed therein is 0.01 to 30 times that of the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the copper ions are supplied by copper sulfate which, for example is used in a molar amount of 0.1 to 1 times that of the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the reaction is performed in the presence of benzyl alcohol, potassium acetate and copper sulfate. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the reaction is performed in aniline as a solvent. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the reaction is performed in a solvent comprising ethyl cellosolve, which is employed in a molar amount 15 to 20 times that of the 1,4,5,8-tetrachloroanthraquinone.

Inventors: AIGA HIROSHI, KURODA SHIZUO, OHYAMATA TSUKASA, TAKUMA KEISUKE, AIGA, HIROSHI, KURODA, SHIZUO, OHYAMATA, TSUKASA, TAKUMA, KEISUKE
Applicants: MITSUI TOATSU CHEMICALS, MITSUI TOATSU CHEMICALS, INC.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C09B1
IPC codes: G02B5, C09K3, G11B7, C09B1