Synthesis of an Octacyclic C60 Fragment

Abstract

AbstractFragments of buckminsterfullerene (C60) include the monumental three compounds corannulene, sumanene, and truxene. These three have served as leading molecules in ongoing research for curved, fused, and π‐extended polyaromatic materials. Achieving more structural variations that join the ranks of these three archetypes remains challenging. Herein we report synthesis of an octacyclic hydrocarbon that is an unexplored C60‐fragment, namely, a 4,11‐dihydrodiindeno[7,1,2‐ghi:7′,1′,2′‐pqr]chrysene (C28H16, which we named Metelykene). The key to success was solution‐compatible synthesis in which double pentagonal rings flank hexagonal ones. This solution‐phase approach, coupled with the resulting non‐planar π‐conjugation, is so straightforward that it offers an entry to a derivative such as a cardo aromatic monomer.