A New, Safe and Convenient Procedure for Reduction of Naphthalene and Anthracene: Synthesis of Tetralin in a One-Pot Reaction

Abstract

Reduction of naphthalene and anthracene with sodium and tert-butyl alcohol gave 1,4-dihydronaphthalene and 9,10-dihydroanthracene respectively in high yields at room temperature (r.t.) as the sole products. The synthesis of tetralin from naphthalene was carried out in a one-pot reaction via 1,4-dihydronaphthalene. The reduced products were easily isolated.