Synthesis and Reactions of Dibenzo[a,e] pentalenes

Pentalene has recently received a considerable amount of attention as a ligand in sandwich-type transition metal complexes. In contrast, dibenzo[a,e] pentalene (hereafter denoted as dibenzopentalene), which is more pi-extended than pentalene, has received less attention, despite its potential usefulness as a building block of ladder-type pi-conjugated molecules, which have recently received growing interest. However, very recently, several novel efficient methods for the synthesis of dibenzopentalenes have been reported. This review surveys recent advances in the synthesis and reactions of dibenzopentalenes and describes the aromaticity of their ionic species.