Recent advances in fdlerene chemistry have provoked an ever burgeoning interest in bowl- like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon^.'-^ The key step used in the synthesis of these compounds involves either a pyrolytic or a photocatalyzed pericyclic process. Various circulenes are prepared by these meth0ds. l More recently, the synthesis of 1 has been achieved by flash vacuum pyrolysis. 3d Alternatively, the dehydrogenative cyclization of a ...
