Brönsted Acid-Mediated Intramolecular Cyclization of Biaryl Triazenes for the Synthesis of Fluorenes and 9,10-Dihydro-Phenanthrenes

The efficient synthesis of fluorenes from biaryl triazenes is successfully developed. Up to 27 examples of biaryl triazenes are converted into their corresponding fluorene derivatives in the presence of CF3COOH (4.0 equiv). Mechanism research indicates that the reaction undergoes concerted processes, and pentacoordinate carbocations may be involved in these reactions.