A practical one-pot synthesis of soluble hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene and isolation of its cation-radical salt

A simple and practical synthesis of soluble hexaperi-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) from readily available hexaphenylbenzene (HPB) is described. In this simple procedure, the substitution of the free para positions of the propeller-shaped HPB with tert-butyl groups and the oxidative cyclodehydrogenation to planar HBC is achieved in a one-pot reaction using ferric chloride both as a Lewis acid catalyst and as an oxidant in excellent yields. The ready availability of HBC allows the isolation of its pure cation-radical salt using a variety of chemical oxidants such as antimony pentachloride and triethyloxonium and nitrosonium hexachloroantimonate salts.