Pleiadene dimerization and its application to the construction of novel carbon networks

The synthesis of the anti- and syn-pleiadene dimers 2 has been carried out in solution and in the solid state from (6b-10b-dihydrobenzo[j]cyclobut[a]a cenaphthylene) (3). The structures of the anti- and syn-2 dimers were deter mined by X-ray crystallography and by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometr y. An exhaustive thermal analysis of the two dimers has been carried out, e stablishing that the equilibrium for their interconversion occurs via pleia dene as an intermediate species. Vinyl-6b-10b-dihydrobenzo[j]cyclobut[a]ace naphthylene (5) has been synthesized and used as a pre-monomer for the prep aration of poly(pleiadene) dimer through either thermal or photochemical po lymerization.