Di- and trinitrophenanthrenes: Synthesis, separation, and reduction property

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/tx00043a006

Although nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitrated PAHs), specifically, dinitrated PAHs, have been indicated as potent mutagenic and carcinogenic environmental pollutants, only a few di- and trinitrophenanthrenes (DNPHs and TNPHs) have been reported up to the present time. Methods for the preparation of DNPHs and TNPHs by direct nitration of phenanthrene were established in this study. The reaction of phenanthrene with fuming nitric acid in acetic anhydride gave a complex mixture of DNPHs. Eleven DNPHs were isolated by using preparative HPLC with a total of 62.6% yield. Their chemical structures were determined using ¹H NMR and electron impact mass spectrometry (EI-MS). The isolated DNPHs and their yields were 2,10-DNPH (14.2%), 1,10-DNPH (8.0%), 3,10-DNPH (6.9%), 3,6-DNPH (6.6%), 2,9- DNPH (5.3%), 1,6-DNPH (5.1%), 3,5-DNPH (4.6%), 4,9-DNPH (3.2%), 4,10-DNPH (3.1%), 1,5-DNPH (2.8%), and 2,6-DNPH (2.8%). Similarly, nine TNPHs were obtained from the nitrated reaction mixture of phenanthrene with fuming nitric acid without solvent: 3,6,9-TNPH (9.2%), 2,6,9-TNPH (9.0%), 1,6,9- TNPH (8.2%), 1,5,10-TNPH (9.0%), 2,6,9-TNPH (9.0%), 1,6,9-TNPH (4.0%), 1,7,9- TNPH (3.4%), 2,5,10-TNPH (2.5%), 2,6,10-TNPH (2.4%), 3,5,10-TNPH (1.8%), and 2,7,9-TNPH (0.2%) in 46.5% of the total yield. The reduction properties of the DNPHs and TNPHs were examined using cyclic voltammetry. The LUMO energy levels of the DNPHs and TNPHs calculated by the AM1 method were correlated to the first reduction potentials (E( 1/2 )). The coplanar or noncoplanar conformations of the nitro substituents to the phenanthrene ring system were also discussed.