Photochemical synthesis of chrysenols

Chrysenols are formed together with other metabolites when chrysene is metabolized in living organisms. The principal metabolites are needed as pure compounds for reference materials and standards to study various aspects of this metabolism. In this study the 1-, 2-, 3- , and 4-chrysenols have been made in pure form by photochemical ring closure of [(methoxyphenyl)vinyl]naphthalene to the methoxychrysenes followed by deprotection, and purification of the chrysenols. The method may be applied to make the single pure compounds in high yields