The synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted triphenylenes through controlled construction of the core and subsequent aromatic substitution reactions – a perspective and update

George Gray was enthusiastic about the emergence and scientific developments in the field of discotic liquid crystals, taking particular interest in our early work to develop new synthetic methods to widen the area. In this article, an overview of the strength and versatility of the synthetic chemistry is presented, along with two updates. The first describes a simple modification that allows easy preparation of 2,3-dialkoxytriphenylene without overreaction, and the second highlights another unexpected synthesis outcome where bromination and nitration of a tetra-alkoxytriphenylene precursor leads to two different regiochemical outcomes.

乔治·格雷（George Gray）对盘状液晶（discotic liquid crystals）领域的兴起与科学进展抱有极大热忱，尤其关注我们早期为拓展该领域所开展的新型合成方法开发工作。本文综述了合成化学（synthetic chemistry）的优势与多功能性，并附带两项最新进展：其一介绍了一种简便改性策略，可在避免过度反应的前提下便捷制备2,3-二烷氧基三亚苯（2,3-dialkoxytriphenylene）；其二则聚焦一项意外的合成结果——四烷氧基三亚苯前驱体（tetra-alkoxytriphenylene precursor）经溴化（bromination）与硝化（nitration）反应后，可得到两种不同的区域选择性产物。