The alicyclic ring contraction of perfluoro-1-phenyltetralin in reaction with antimony pentafluoride

Perfluoro-1-phenyltetralin (1) heated with antimony pentafluoride at 130 °C, then treated with water, gave a mixture of perfluorinated 3-methyl-2-phenylindenone (3), 3-methyl-2-phenylindene (4), 3-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenylindan (5), 1-methyl-3-phenylindan (6), 9-methyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydroanthracene (7), and 1,9-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-β-naphthindan (8). When heated with SbF5 in the presence of HF, then treated with water, compound 1 is transformed to a mixture of products 3–6. The reaction at 170 and 200 °C forms compounds 3–6 together with perfluoro-2-(cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-methylindene (10).