Synthesis of a three-dimensional spiro-annulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

We describe the results of our investigation on the preparation, structural characterization, and optical properties of a spiro-annulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon prepared by the cyclodehydrogenation of a hexa{2-(9,9′-spirobifluorenyl)}benzene precursor molecule. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the anthracene backbone adopts one of the largest end-to-end twists thus far reported.