A New General Synthesis of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds Based on Enamine Chemistry

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00003a050

Alkylation of enamines and enamine salts by benzylic and (β-haloethyl)aryl halides, respectively, followed by acidic cyclodehydration and dehydrogenation provides an efficient synthetic approach to a wide range of polycyclic aromatic compounds of diverse structural types.Specific polycyclic hydrocarbons synthesized by this route include benzo- and benzofluorene, 7H-dibenzo-, 13H-dibenzo-, and 13H-dibenzofluorene, 15H-tribenzofluorene, dibenzochrysene, benzopentaphene, indeno<1,2-b>fluorene, fluoreno<3,4-c>fluorene, octahydrodibenzanthracene, dibenzanthracene, octahydrodibenzanthracene, dibenzanthracene, picene, benzopicene, 1H-benzaceanthrylene, and 4H-cyclopentachrysene.This method with appropriate modifications appears to be potentially broader in scope than established traditional methods of polycyclic hydrocarbon synthesis.