Synthesis and Conformational Dynamics of Selenanthrene (Oxides): Establishing an Energetic Flexibility Index for Scaffolds.

The use of new dynamic scaffolds for constructing inorganic and organometallic complexes with enhanced reactivities is an important new research direction. Toward this fundamental aim, an improved synthesis of the dynamic scaffold selenanthrene, along with its monoxide, -dioxide and the previously unknown trioxide, is reported. A discussion of the potential reaction mechanism for selenanthrene is provided, and all products were characterized using H, C, and Se nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray crystallography.