title: Synthesis of aromatic compounds by catalytic C-C bond activation of biphenylene or angular [3]phenylene.
abstract: Substituted phenanthrenes and picenes were easily prepared by reaction of biphenylene or angular [3]phenylene with various alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [IrCl(cod)](2) /dppe (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene, dppe=1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane). The reaction is based on C-C bond activation of the cyclobutane ring. The reaction tolerates the presence of bulky groups on the alkyne, such as the ferrocene moiety. In addition, a catalytic system based on [RhCl(cod)](2)/dppe enabled the, hitherto unreported, reaction of biphenylene with nitriles to provide phenanthridines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic and Nuclear Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Hlavova 8, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Aleš
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korotvička
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Císařová
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roithová
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotora