Frontispiece: Dibenzo[a,e]pentalenophanes: Bending a Non‐Alternant Hydrocarbon

Abstract

Dibenzo[a,e]pentalene was brought into a bent shape by incorporation into cyclophane structures. Burgess’ reagent accomplished the last, strain-inducing dehydration reaction, powerful enough to compensate for the antiaromatic character built-up in the central pentalene unit. The bend angles of the dibenzopentalene unit had values of up to 88°, spanning a near semi-circle. For more details, see the Full Paper by B. Esser et al. on page 7374 ff.