Efficient routes to acenaphthylene-fused polycyclic arenes/heteroarenes and heterocyclic fluoranthene analogues

Abstract

The acenaphthenone-derived α-oxoketene dithioacetal 2 has been subjected to various [3 + 3] aromatic and heteroaromatic annulation and other heterocyclization reactions previously developed in our laboratory, providing short and efficient routes to a diverse range of known and unknown acenaphtho-annulated linear and angular PAHs, heteroaromatics and five-membered heterocycles in good yields. Thus, benzo- and naphthoannulation of 2 with various allyl and benzyl Grignard reagents afforded substituted fluoranthenes 4a-c and benzo[k]fluoranthene 8, respectively, in good yields. Similarly, the parent benzo[j]fluoranthene 15a and its substituted derivative 16b have been synthesized by base-induced conjugate 1,4-addition of arylacetonitriles to 2, followed by acid-induced cyclization of the conjugate adducts 12a-b to give 13a-b and subsequent further transformations. The adducts obtained by 1,4-addition of anions derived from acetophenone and acenaphthenone were subjected toheterocyclization in the presence of ammonium acetate to give 8-arylacenaphtho[1,2-b]pyridines 18a-b and bis(acenaphtho)-annulated pyridine 20. Heterocyclization of 2 with bifunctional nucleophiles such as 2-picolyllithium and guanidinium nitrate afforded the corresponding acenaphtho[1,2-b]quinolizinium salt 23 and acenaphtho[1,2-d]pyrimidine 24, respectively, in high yields. Finally, acenaphtho[1,2-c]-fused five-membered heterocycles such as 7-(methylthio)acenaphtho[1,2-c]thiophene (25), 7-(methylthio)acenaphtho[1,2-c]furan (27) and 7-(methylthio)acenaphtho[1,2-c]pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid (30) were obtained in good yields by subjection of 2 to Simmons-Smith reaction conditions or by treatment with dimethylsulfonium methylide or glycinate dianion. Some of these newly synthesized PAHs or fused heterocycles were subjected to Raney Ni desulfurization to furnish sulfur-free compounds.