Rapid access to hydroxyfluoranthenes via a domino Suzuki–Miyaura/intramolecular Diels–Alder/ring-opening reactions sequence

In this work, we developed an efficient method for the rapid construction of fluoranthene skeleton to access a variety of substituted hydroxyfluoranthenes. The 1-iodo-8-alkynylnaphthalene derivatives, which serve as substrates for the key fluoranthene-forming step, were prepared via selective monoalkynylative Sonogashira reactions of 1,8-diiodonaphthalene. The domino reaction sequence which involves a sequential Suzuki–Miyaura coupling, an intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction, and an aromatization-driven ring-opening isomerization has been shown to give substituted hydroxyfluoranthenes in up to 92% yield. This work demonstrates the utility of designing new domino reactions for rapid access to substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).