Preparation of 3-(9-Anthryl)acrylates and 9-Aroylethenylanthracenes as Pi-Extended Anthracenes and Their Diels–Alder Type Adducts with Electron-Poor Dienophiles

<p>(E)<b>-</b>3-(9-Anthryl)acrylates and (E)-9-aroylethenylanthracenes have been prepared by solventless Wittig olefination with conjugated phosphoranes. The (E)-3-(9-anthryl)acrylates were brominated to give (E)-3[10-{9-bromoanthryl}]acrylates, which could be subjected to Suzuki reactions with arylboronic acids to produce (E)-3-[10-{9-arylanthryl}]acrylates as pi-extended systems. The compounds thus prepared were subjected to Diels–Alder reactions, partly under solventless conditions.</p