Synthesis of Curved Polycyclic Arenes Embedded with Oxepine and Thiepine Using Ring Expansion Strategy.

A tandem oxidative ring expansion of a six- to seven-membered ring was developed to construct a new class of negatively curved polycyclic arenes embedded with oxepine and thiepine, namely, dibenzo[b,f]phenanthro[9,10-d]oxepine (DBPO) and dibenzo[b,f]phenanthro[9,10-d]thiepine (DBPT), respectively. Mechanistic studies disclosed that an unexpected [4 + 2] cycloadduct formed between the alkene moiety of o-biphenyl-linked methylenexanthenes and o-chloranil serves as a radical cation or a dication equivalent that facilitates the FeCl3-mediated tandem ring expansion process.

Construction of Alkylidene Fluorene Scaffolds Using Pd-Catalyzed Direct Arene/Alkene Coupling Strategy.

A versatile synthetic method for the construction of alkylidene fluorenes and their heteroarene derivatives has been developed successfully by means of a Pd(II)-catalyzed direct C-H/C-H coupling of o-alkenyl biaryls. Use of the Pd(OAc)2 catalyst under aerobic oxidation conditions gives rise to the corresponding alkylidene fluorenes having various functional groups and diversely fused polycyclic systems. The resulting products can serve as versatile synthetic building blocks for the construction of structurally diverse polycyclic arenes and heteroarenes.

Pd-Catalyzed Indolization/peri-C-H Annulation/N-Dealkylation Cascade to Cyclopenta-Fused Acenaphtho[1,2-b]indole Scaffold.

A novel Pd-catalyzed cascade reaction of N,N-dialkyl-substituted o-alkynylanilines involving an indolization/peri-C-H annulation/N-dealkylation sequence has been developed to construct a cyclopenta-fused acenaphtho[1,2-b]indole (ANI) scaffold. A variety of aromatic hydrocarbons having a peri-C-H bond at the alkynyl terminus, such as naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and fluoranthene, were employed, affording the corresponding π-extended ANI derivatives. The ANI molecules showed relatively narrow energy gaps by increasing HOMOs and lowering LUMOs, implying their potential applications as π-segments in low-band-gap materials.

Tandem Oxidative Ring Expansion for Synthesis of Dibenzocyclooctaphenanthrenes.

A novel tandem single-electron oxidative ring expansion reaction has been developed for the construction of the saddle-shaped polycyclic arenes fused with cyclooctatetraene, that is, dibenzo[3,4:7,8]cycloocta[1,2-l]phenanthrenes (dbCOTPs). The combination of Cu(OTf)2 catalyst with DDQ triggered the selective oxidation of o-biphenyl-tethered methylenecirculenes fused with a seven-membered ring, giving rise to the formation of the corresponding eight-membered ring fused dbCOTPs. The present tandem ring expansion of a seven- to an eight-membered ring takes place via the selective single-electron oxidation of the benzylidene moiety, intramolecular spirocyclization, and 1,2-aryl migration sequence.