Synthesis of 2‐chloro‐[2‐¹⁴C] naphthalene and [2‐¹⁴C] naphthalene

The reaction of indene with [ 14 C]dichlorocarbene, generated from [ 14 C]chloroform with the aid of potassium t ‐butoxide, leads to the dichlorocarbene adduct. Without isolation from the reaction mixture this adduct has been converted to 2‐chloro‐[2‐ 14 C]naphthalene with an overall yield of 60‐67%. Catalytic dehalogenation of 2‐chloro‐[2‐ 14 C]naphthalene yields almost quantitatively [2‐ 14 C]naphthalene. The chemical and radiochemical purity of this compound was proved to be better than 99%.