Platinum-Catalyzed Chemoselectively Hydrative Dimerization of 2-Alkynyl-1-acetylbenzenes for One-Pot Facile Synthesis of Chrysene Derivatives

We report one-pot syntheses of chrysene compounds via PtCl₂-catalyzed hydrative dimerization of readily available 2-alkynyl-1-acetylbenzenes. This new tandem catalysis comprises an initial selective hydration of the alkyne, followed by chemoselective dimerization of diketone intermediates. The mechanism of this cyclization has been elucidated by ¹³C labeling experiments as well as isolation of reaction intermediates.