Scholl reaction

Encyclopedia : S : SC : SCH : Scholl reaction

The Scholl reaction is a coupling reaction between two arene compounds with the aid of a Lewis acid and a protic acid M B Smith, J March. March's Advanced Organic Chemistry (Wiley, 2001) (ISBN 0-471-58589-0):

Given the high reaction temperature and the requirement for strongly acidic catalysts the chemical yield often are low and the method is not a popular one. Intramolecular reactions fair better than the intermolecular ones, for instance in the organic synthesis of 9-phenylfluorene:

Or the formation of the pyrene dibenzo-(a.1)-pyrene from the anthracene] 1-phenylbenz(a)anthracene (66% yield) F A Vingiello. J. Org. Chem. 36 (1971) p. 2053

The exact reaction mechanism is not known but could very well proceed through an arenium ion.

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