Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation of 10-Methyl-9-Anthraldehyde: Formation and Photochemical Dimerization of 9-Formyloxy-10-methylanthracene

Abstract

Oxidation of 10-methyl-9-anthraldehyde with hydrogen peroxide in acetic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid gives 9-formyloxy-10-methylanthracene which dimerizes in solution upon exposure to light. The head-to-tail structure of the 4π+4π photodimer was established by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. In the crystalline state, the molecular structure is centrosymmetric, and the length of the photochemically formed bonds 1.646(4)Ǻ. Crystals are monoclinic, P2₁/c, a 7.980(5), b 16.143(7), c 9.571(3)Ǻ, β 114.38(3)°, Z=2 dimers; R was 0.041 for 1362 'observed' diffractometer reflections.