Multi-step Synthesis of Hexaarylbenzene for Organic Chemistry Lab

Over the last two decades, green chemistry has become a routine and important topic in undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum. Despite increasing attention to green chemistry in lectures, there is little corresponding increase in the number of diverse green organic laboratory experiments. This laboratory sequence offers students an introduction to sustainable chemistry concepts and provides research-applicable reactions to synthesize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from simple readily available starting materials. During this multi-step experiment, students gained practical experience performing central organic reactions such as oxidation, condensation and Diels-Alder. Students were encouraged to apply various synthetic techniques to obtain their products, and were assessed on their understanding of the reactions and characterization of their products.