Short synthetic approach towards the triindenotriphenylene (hemifullerene) system
Abstract
A two-step synthesis of trimethyltribenzotriphenylene 2 from readily available starting materials involving three-fold Wittig reaction and three-fold oxidative photocyclization along a C3-symmetry path is reported. Flash vacuum pyrolysis of 2 in the quest for the triindenotriphenylene (hemifullerene) system has so far led only to the formation of mono-coupled products 6 and 7.