The group publishes a Bottom-up Construction of p-Extended Arenes by a PalladiumCatalyzed Annulative Dimerization of o-Iodobiaryl Compounds on Angew. Congrats Zhu!

ABSTRACT:A straightforward method was developed for construction of aromatic compounds with a triphenylene core. The method involves Pd-catalyzed annulative dimerization of o-iodobiaryl compounds by double C-I and C-H bond cleavage steps. Simple reaction conditions are needed, requiring neither a ligand nor an oxidant, and the reaction tolerates a wide range of coupling partners without compromising efficiency or scalability. Significantly, the tetrachloro-substituted synthon, 1,6,11-trichloro-4-(4-chlorophenyl)triphenylene, can be generated an used to prepare a series of fully fused, small graphene nanoribbons by a late-stage arylation with arylboronic acids and a subsequent Schol reaction. The synthetic strategy enables bottom-up access to extended p-systems in a controlled manner.