S. Dobis, D. Schollmeyer, C. Gao, D. Cao, H. Meier
FULL PAPER
When 150 mg (0.46 mmol) 3a were dissolved in 160 mL benzene,
the photoreaction yielded under the same conditions 123 mg (82%)
of dimer 5a and only traces of 4a.
The structure elucidations of the dimers 5a and 5b reveal
a new aspect. According to crystal structure analyses, both
dimers are [4π+4π] head-to-tail adducts. In solution, they
show temperature-dependent (+90 °C to –40 °C) NMR
spectra indicating the existence of three different rotamers.
Head-to-head dimers could not be found.
Irradiation of 3b, 3c: The irradiation of 3b (87 mg, 0.24 mmol) was
performed as described above for 3a. Yield after recrystallization
from CH2Cl2/C2H5OH (1:2): 62 mg 5b (71%), colorless crystals,
which melted at 222 °C (decomp.). The irradiation of 3c (60 mg,
0.17 mmol) afforded 60 mg (≈100%) of pure 4c, which melted at
98 °C (decomp.).[31]
Experimental Section
7-Methoxy-3-oxahexacyclo[7.6.6.25,8.01,5.010,15.016,21]tricosa-
General: The FT-IR spectra were obtained with the Perkin–Elmer
spectrometer GX. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra were recorded
with the Bruker spectrometer AMX 400. If not otherwise indicated,
CDCl3 served as solvent, and TMS was used as internal standard.
The field desorption (FD) mass spectra were obtained with a Finni-
gan MAT 95. Elemental analyses were performed in the microana-
lytical laboratory of the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Uni-
versity of Mainz. The melting points were measured with a Stuart
Scientific SMP/3 apparatus and are uncorrected.
6,10,12,14,16,18,20,22-octaene (4a): IR (KBr): ν = 1597, 1490,
˜
1
1467, 1454, 1268, 1165, 1135, 1108, 1037, 780, 694 cm–1. H NMR
(CDCl3): δ = 2.75 (s, 3 H, OCH3), 3.18 (m, 1 H, 8-H), 3.69/3.83
(AB, 2J = –8.9 Hz, 2 H, 4-H), 4.03 (d, 3J = 10.7 Hz, 1 H, 9-H),
4.11 (d, 4J = 2.2 Hz, 1 H, 6-H), 4.49 (“s”, 2 H, 2-H), 5.70 (m, 2 H,
22-H, 23-H), 6.78–7.36 (m, 8 H, aromat. H) ppm. 13C NMR
(C6D6): δ = 47.0 (C-8), 54.1, 54.8, 54.9 (C-5, C-9, OCH3), 64.4 (C-
1), 72.1 (C-2), 80.5 (C-4), 103.9 (C-6), 122.7, 123.1, 124.2, 124.7,
124.8, 125.4, 127.4 (aromat. CH, signals partly superimposed),
132.9, 141.3 (C-22, C-23), 143.8, 144.6, 146.0, 146.2 (aromat. Cq),
160.6 (CqO) ppm. FD MS: m/z (%) = 329 (100) [M + H+].
C23H20O2 (328.4): calcd. C 84.12, H 6.14; found C 84.52, H 6.04.
The preparation of the 9-[(benzyloxy)methyl]anthracenes 3a–c was
accomplished according to a procedure given in the literature.[33]
9-{[(3-Methoxybenzyl)oxy]methyl}anthracene (3a): Yellowish solid,
yield 1310 mg (80%) from 1130 mg (5.0 mmol) 1 and 760 mg
(5.5 mmol) 2a; m.p. 101 °C. H NMR (CDCl3): δ = 3.77 (s, 3 H,
To the spectroscopic characterization of 4c see reference.[33] The
quantitative process 3c Ǟ 4c can be quantitatively reversed
(4cǞ3c) by heating to 110 °C or by irradiation with λ = 254 nm.
1
OCH3), 4.69 (s, 2 H, β-CH2), 5.48 (s, 2 H, α-CH2), 6.86 (m, 1 H,
phenyl H), 6.97 (m, 2 H, phenyl H), 7.28 (m, 1 H, phenyl H), 7.39–
7.54 (m, 4 H, anthracene H), 7.99 (m, 2 H, anthracene H), 8.31 (m,
2 H, anthracene H), 8.45 (s, 1 H, 10-H) ppm. 13C NMR (CDCl3): δ
= 55.2 (OCH3), 64.0 (α-CH2), 72.3 (β-CH2), 113.0, 113.8, 120.3,
124.4, 124.4, 124.9, 126.1, 128.4, 129.0 (aromat. CH), 129.4, 131.1,
131.5 (Cq, anthracene), 140.1, 159.8 (Cq, benzene) ppm. FD MS:
m/z (%) = 328 (100) [M+·]. C23H20O2 (328.4): calcd. C 84.12, H
6.14; found C 83.97, H 6.08.
5,11-Bis{[(3-methoxybenzyl)oxy]methyl}-5,6,11,12-tetrahydro-5,12-
[1Ј,2Ј]:6,11[1ЈЈ,2ЈЈ]dibenzenodibenzo[a,e]cyclooctene (5a): IR (KBr):
1
ν = 1597, 1454, 1268, 1164, 1108, 1036, 780, 694 cm–1. H NMR
˜
(CDCl3, 25 °C): δ = 3.53, 4.72 (2 br. s, 2 H, bridgehead H), 3.79,
3.84 (2 s, 6 H, OCH3), 4.46 (br. s, 4 H, α-CH2), 4.73 (br. s, 2 H, β-
CH2), 4.97 (br. s, 2 H, β-CH2), 6.75–7.40 (m, 24 H, aromat. H)
ppm. 13C NMR (CDCl3, 25 °C): δ = 55.2 (OCH3), 71.1 (br.), 73.6,
73.9, 75.0 (CH2), 112.9, 113.4, 113.7, 120.0, 120.5, 123.6, 124.0,
124.9, 125.3, 125.5, 127.4, 128.0, 129.5, 129.6 (aromat. CH, signals
partly superimposed), 139.8, 142.9, 144.9, 159.8 (br., aromat. Cq,
partly superimposed) ppm. Due to the exchange mechanism of rot-
amers, some signals are very broad; the signals of the bridgehead
carbon atoms can not be found at all. FD MS: m/z (%) = 657 (1)
[M + H+], 329 (100) [M + 2 H+]. C46H40O4 (656.8): calcd. C 84.12,
H 6.14; found C 84.15, H 6.11.
9-{[(2,3-Dimethoxylbenzyl)oxy]methyl}anthracene (3b): Yellowish
solid, yield 1380 mg (77%) from 1130 mg (5.0 mmol) 1 and 925 mg
1
(5.5 mmol) 2b; m.p. 111 °C. H NMR (CDCl3): δ = 3.79 (s, 3 H,
OCH3), 3.86 (s, 3 H, OCH3), 4.83 (s, 2 H, β-CH2), 5.53 (s, 2 H, α-
CH2), 6.88 (m, 1 H, phenyl H), 7.06 (m, 2 H, phenyl H), 7.43–7.54
(m, 4 H, anthracene H), 8.00 (m, 2 H, anthracene H), 8.35 (m, 2
H, anthracene H), 8.45 (s, 1 H, 10-H) ppm. 13C NMR (CDCl3): δ =
55.8, 61.1 (OCH3), 64.5 (α-CH2), 67.4 (β-CH2), 112.1, 121.7, 124.0,
124.5, 124.9, 126.1, 128.3, 128.9 (aromat. CH), 128.8, 131.1, 131.5,
132.2 (aromat. Cq), 147.4, 152.7 (aromat. CqO) ppm. FD MS: m/z
(%) = 358 (100) [M+·]. C24H22O3 (358.4): calcd. C 80.42, H 6.19;
found C 80.39, H 6.27.
5,11-Bis{[(2,3-dimethoxybenzyl)oxy]methyl}-5,6,11,12-tetrahydro-
5,12[1Ј,2Ј]:6,11[1ЈЈ,2ЈЈ]dibenzenodibenzo[a,e]cyclooctene (5b): IR
(KBr): ν = 1588, 1477, 1454, 1431, 1351, 1276, 1233, 1135, 1099,
˜
1077, 1059, 1023, 1009, 777, 751, 693 cm–1. 1H NMR (CDCl3,
25 °C): δ = 3.55, 4.73 (2 s, 2 H, bridgehead H), 3.88, 3.92, 3.99 (3
s, 12 H, OCH3), 4.55 (br. s, 4 H, α-CH2), 4.83 (br. s, 2 H, β-CH2),
5.05 (s, 2 H, β-CH2), 6.73–7.35 (m, 22 H, aromat. H) ppm. 13C
NMR (CDCl3, 25 °C): δ = 55.8, 61.1 (OCH3), 57.1, 60.0 (CH,
bridgehead), 67.7, 68.5 (β-CH2), 71.3, 75.3 (α-CH2), 111.9, 121.3,
121.9, 123.7, 124.2, 125.2, 125.5, 127.3, 128.0 (aromat. CH, some
signals superimposed), 132.1, 143.0, 145.0, 147.1, 152.6 (aromat.
Cq) ppm. Some signals are broad, some signals look like doublets.
FD MS: m/z (%) = 717 (5) [M + H+], 359 (100) [M + 2 H+].
C48H44O6 (716.9): calcd. C 80.42, H 6.19; found C 80.59, H 6.16.
9-{[(3,5-Dimethoxybenzyl)oxy]methyl}anthracene (3c): Yellowish so-
lid, yield 1470 mg (82%) from 1130 mg (5.0 mmol) 1 and 925 mg
(5.5 mmol) 2c; m.p. 100 °C, spectroscopic characterization.[14]
Irradiation of 9-{[(3-Methoxybenzyl)oxy]methyl}anthracene (3a): A
solution of 40.0 mg (0.12 mmol) 3a in 160 mL of dry, degassed ben-
zene was irradiated with a Hanovia 450-W medium-pressure mer-
cury lamp equipped with a Duran glas filter. A slow Ar stream was
purged through the solution. After 1 h the solvent was reduced, so
that dimer 5a, which has a low solubility, precipitated. Recrystalli-
zation from CH2Cl2/C2H5OH (1:2) yielded 21.0 mg (53%) of color-
less, crystalline 5a which melted at 213 °C. The remaining benzene
solution contained the better soluble cyclomer 4a. Further concen-
tration gave 16.5 mg (41%) yellowish 4a which melted at 206 °C.
(The melting processes of 4a and 5a show clean decompositions to
3a.)
Crystal Structure Analysis of 5a and 5b: The measurement was done
on an Enraf–Nonius CAD-4-diffractometer with the software Col-
lect V5 (Enraf–Nonius B. V., 1989, Delft, The Netherlands). The
structures were solved with SIR 92[34] and refined by full-matrix
least-squares technique on F2 with SHELXL-97.[35] Details of the
X-ray crystal structure analysis are listed in Table 4.
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Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 2964–2969