Syntheses of terminally substituted conjugated polyenes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1055/s-1990-27102

Polyenes and polyenals of the carotenoid type with five, nine and thirteen conjugated double bonds and a variety of terminally substituents like benzenes, naphthalenes, anthracenes, and tetraphenyl porphyrines are synthesized via Wittig reactions starting from crocetin dialdehyde or 2,7-dimethyloctatriendial, respectively. The characterization, and in most cases also the separation, of the E/Z-isomers of the polyenes is possible.