Synthesis of some new lignans and the mechanism of intramolecular nonphenolic oxidative coupling of aromatic compounds

Treatment of cis-1,4-diaryl-2,3-epoxy butane with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzo-quinone (DDQ) in trifluoroacetic acid(TFA) gave dibenzocycloheptadienes by pinacol rearrangement and intramolecular oxidative coupling of the aryl groups. Meanwhile, the benzofuran analogues were also formed by the same method. These new lignans have potent CNS inhibitory activities. It has been proven that the method is particularly useful when applied to the substrates in which the ring substituents are electron donating. The structures of these products were identified by the MS, UV, IR, NMR spectra, and elemental and X-ray crystallographic analyses.