A New Route for the Preparation of Fluorene Derivatives using Friedel–Crafts Intramolecular Cyclobenzylation

Abstract

A convenient preparation of fluorene derivatives based on a novel Friedel–Crafts intramolecular cyclobenzylation, involving the action of Cl ₂ CHOMe and TiCl ₄ on a variety of biphenyls (constructed such that electrophilic substitution occurs ortho to the biphenyl linkage), is described.