A Cyclopenta[hi]acephenanthrylene Bearing Two Benzoannelated [3.3.3]Propellane Units: Extension of Triptindane Chemistry

The McMurry reaction of triptindan-9-one (2), a three-fold benzoannelated Cs-symmetrical [3.3.3]propellane ketone, gave trans-9,9’-bitriptindanylidene (5), a sterically crowded stilbene hydrocarbon bearing two E-oriented triptindane moieties, in good yield. Photoisomerization of 5 generated the corresponding cis-stilbene 8 in a photostationary E/Z-mixture (55 : 45), which adopts a similarly crowded C2-symmetrical conformation that is apparently static on the NMR timescale. Photocyclodehydrogenation of 5 via 8 in benzene solution afforded the title hydrocarbon 6, a 1,2,9,10-tetrahydrocyclopenta[hi]acephenanthrylene merged with two triptindane units, in 85% yield. X-ray structure analysis of 6 revealed an essentially planar phenanthrene unit but significant steric repulsion between the pairs of opposite methylene groups of the [3.3.3]propellane cores, giving rise to a C2-symmetrical conformation. Reaction of 2 under modified McMurry conditions (DME instead of THF as a solvent) gave the saturated dimer, 9,9’-bitriptindanyl 7, as a mixture of diastereomers. Attempts to synthesize “columnene” (4), an elusive barrelene derivative fused with two triptindane caps, by three-fold McMurry reaction of triptindane-9,10,11-trione (3) failed.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author