Configurationally defined sexi- and octinaphthalene derivatives: synthesis and optical properties

The copper mediated oxidative coupling of optically active quaternaphthalenes having a 2-hydroxynaphthyl moiety gave configurationally defined optically active octinaphthalenes. The absolute configuration was determined by comparison with products of [6+2] coupling. The CD spectra of bi-, ter-, quater-, sexi- and octinaphthalenes suggested that the absolute configuration of the chiral axis could be deduced from the intensity of their Cotton effects.