32870-96-5Relevant academic research and scientific papers
Origin of Pyrene under High Temperature Conditions in the Gas Phase. The Pivotal Role of Phenanthrene
Sarobe, Martin,Jenneskens, Leonardus W.,Steggink, Ralph G. B.,Visser, Tom
, p. 3861 - 3866 (2007/10/03)
4-Ethynylphenanthrene (15), and the latent precursors for 2-ethynyl- (18) and 3-ethynylphenanthrene (19), viz., 2-(1-chloroethenyl)- (16) and 3-(1-chloroethenyl)phenanthrene (17), respectively, have been subjected to flash vacuum thermolysis (FVT). Whereas at 800°C 15 is quantitatively converted into pyrene (1), 16 and 17 only give 18 and 19, respectively. Both 18 and 19 contain redundant ethynyl substituents, i.e., after ethynyl-ethylidene carbene equilibration neither five-nor six-membered ring formation can occur by carbene C-H insertion. At T ≥ 1000°C 16 and 17 gave pyrolysates containing the same set of 11 (non)-alternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), albeit in a different ratio. The different product ratio suggests that redundant ethynyl substituents migrate along the phenanthrene periphery presumably via transient cyclobuta-PAH intermediates toward positions suitable for either five- or six-membered ring formation by carbene C-H insertion. The results provide an explanation for the ubiquitous formation of pyrene (1), acephenanthrylene (9), and fluoranthene (3) during (incomplete) combustion. Phenanthrene (2) appears to be a point of divergence in PAH growth by C2 addition.
