Acceleration of solid state Diels–Alder reactions by incorporating the reactants into crystalline charge transfer complexes

Abstract

Diels–Alder reactions in a solid state between anthracene (AN) derivatives and p-benzoquinone (BQ) under mechanical stressing are accelerated by adding a catalytic amount of 2-naphthol (NP) or ( rac)-1,1′-bis-2-naphthol (BN). Their catalytic effects are based on the formation of the charge transfer complex with strong hydrogen bonds. BN is capable of incorporating BQ together with its reaction partner, AN derivatives, simultaneously. The resulted molecular complex with BN provides crystallographically ordered homogenic reaction fields, resulting in the higher rates of the present solid state Diels–Alder reaction.