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Updated: May 14, 2026

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by Copper(I)-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
Published on: September 18, 2016
Azatrioxa[8]circulenes: planar anti-aromatic cyclooctatetraenes
Christian B Nielsen1, Theis Brock-Nannestad, Peter Hammershøj
1Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Abstract:
We describe herein the first synthesis of a new class of anti-aromatic planar cyclooctatetraenes: the azatrioxa[8]circulenes. This was achieved by treating a suitably functionalised 3,6-dihydroxycarbazole with 1,4-benzoquinones or a 1,4-naphthoquinone. We fully characterised the azatrioxa[8]circulenes by using optical, electrochemical and computational techniques as well as by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The results of a computational study (NICS) suggest that the central planar cyclooctatetraene is anti-aromatic when the molecules are in neutral or oxidised states (2+), and that the corresponding dianions are aromatic. We discuss the aromatic/anti-aromatic nature of the planar cyclooctatetraenes and compare them with the isoelectronic tetraoxa[8]circulenes.
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