# Syntheses of Pyrene-4,5-dione and Pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone

## TL;DR

This paper presents improved methods for synthesizing two pyrene derivatives on a large scale without needing complex purification.

## Contribution

The study introduces efficient, scalable oxidation methods for pyrene derivatives using specific catalysts and solvents.

## Key findings

- Potassium persulfate and RuO2·nH2O enabled gram-scale synthesis of pyrene-4,5-dione.
- Multigram-scale oxidation of pyrene-4,5-dione to tetraone was achieved without chromatography.
- The biphasic solvent system improved reaction efficiency and product solubility.

## Abstract

Improved gram scale synthesis procedures for the preparation
of
pyrene-4,5-dione and pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone are reported. Pyrene-4,5-dione
has been synthesized using potassium persulfate as the oxidant and
RuO2·nH2O as the catalyst
in the biphasic CH2Cl2/H2O solvent
mixture containing K2CO3 as the base. We also
developed several procedures for multigram scale oxidation of pyrene-4,5-dione
to pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone, eliminating the need for chromatographic
purification of the poorly soluble tetraone product.