Trinacrene – a Product of Structure‐Directed Synthesis

Trinacrene (1) is a promising—and very attractive-new cage compound with a name derived from an old designation for Sicily (Trinacrien). The synthesis of 1 was accomplished in two steps involving six (2 × 3) Diels–Alder reactions and highly symmetrical precursors, the second step being a high-pressure reaction (10 kbar). Compound 1 displays D3h symmetry and gives only the predicted five 1H NMR signals.