Substituted 1, 4-phenanthrenequinones such as 1 are useful building blocks for the preparation of novel materials. Katz and others have shown that compounds such as 1 can be transformed into helicenes by Diels-Alder reactions. 1 Certain 1, 4- phenanthrenequinones also have potential as synthetic intermediates for natural products synthesis. Additionally, some naturally occurring 1, 4-phenanthrenequinones such as ...
