10.1246/cl.1987.2251
The study investigates the dimerization of 1,1-diphenylethylene (1) and its derivatives using tris(p-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroantimonate (3) as a new method to generate the cation radical. In dry solvents, 1 reacts with 3 to form indan dimer 2, while in wet solvents, butadiene derivative 7 and tetrahydrofuran derivative 8 are produced. The dimerization of derivatives like 1,1-diphenylpropene (4), 1,1-diphenyl-3-methyl-1-butene, 1,1,2-triphenylethylene (5), and 1,1-di-p-anisylethylene (6) yields different products, such as butadiene type dimer 9 from 4 in wet solvents, and cyclobutane type dimers 10, 11 from 5 and 12, 13 from 6. The study suggests that the substituents on 1,1-diphenylethylene and the methods for generating the cation radical are crucial for the types of dimers produced, though the exact reasons for the variant products remain unclear.