α-Oxoketene dithioacetal mediated aromatic annulation: highly efficient and concise synthetic routes to potentially carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Highly efficient regiospecific routes to potentially carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as substituted benzo[c]phenanthrenes, benzo[c]fluorenes, 16,17-dihydro-11-methyl-15[H]cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene, 5-methyl-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrochrysene and 1,4-dimethylphenanthrene have been developed. The overall strategy involves our aromatic annulation protocol through base induced conjugate addition–elimination on the cyclic and acyclic α-oxoketene dithioacetals with the appropriate arylacetonitriles followed by acid induced cyclodehydration of the resulting conjugate adducts. Subsequent reductive dethiomethylation (Raney Ni) and dehydrogenation (DDQ) of the cyclized products affords the methyl substituted PAHs in high yields.