Photoracemization of Blestriarene C and Its Analogs

Two analogs of blestriarene C (4,4'-dimethoxy-1,1'-biphenanthrene-2,2',7,7'-tetraol) bearing no 7,7'-dihydroxy (3) and 4,4'-dimethoxy groups 4 were prepared. Unlike blestriarene C (1), compounds 3 and 4, as well as 1,1'-biphenanthrene-2,2'-diol (5), do not racemize under fluorescent lamp illumination. Cyclic voltammetry analysis reveals that compound 1 has a lower half-wave potential (E_1/2) than compounds 3, 4, 5, suggesting that a redox cycle is involved in the racemization. Compound 1 racemizes by absorbing UV light corresponding to the ¹L_b band. During the reaction, no side products are observed. The racemization is significantly inhibited under nitrogen. Based on these observations, we propose a feasible mechanism for the easy racemization of compound 1, which is mediated by a cation radical generated in situ by a reversible photo-induced oxygen oxidation. Chirality 27:479-486, 2015.