Construction of Phenanthrenes and Chrysenes from β-Bromovinylarenes via Aryne Diels-Alder Reaction/Aromatization

A highly efficient transition-metal-free general method for the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like phenanthrenes and chrysenes (and tetraphene) from beta-bromovinylarenes and arynes has been developed. The reactions proceed via an aryne Diels-Alder (ADA) reaction, followed by a facile aromatization. This is the first report on direct construction of chrysenes (and tetraphene) using the ADA approach. Unlike the literature method which is limited to only 9/10-substituted derivatives, this method gives access to a wide variety of functionalized phenanthrenes.