ACID-CATALYZED REACTIONS OF VINYL COMPOUNDS: PART I. PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON VINYL ESTERS AND BENZENE

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Abstract
A detailed study of the nature, and the mechanism of formation, of the products of the aluminum chloride catalyzed reaction of vinyl esters and benzene has been initiated. Using vinyl acetate the formation of the previously reported acetophenone, 1,1-diphenylethane, and 9,10-dimethylanthracene has been confirmed. By means of both column chromatography and thermal distillation, a similar carbonyl-containing fraction was obtained which, as a result of a gas chromatographic study, has been shown to be a mixture of six compounds. Of these, the two major components have been identified as acetophenone and p-ethylacetophenone, the latter previously unreported as a product of this reaction.The reaction of vinyl formate and benzene has been studied for the first time. High yields of 9,10-dimethylanthracene were obtained but no carbonyl-containing compounds. A study of the effect of a variation in molar ratio of benzene to vinyl acetate indicated that a maximum yield of 9,10-dimethylanthracene was obtained using a 6:1 molar ratio.The significance of these results is discussed.A method has been devised for an improved synthesis of 9,10-dimethylanthracene. The generality of this procedure for the synthesis of other substituted polynuclear compounds is indicated.

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