Method for promoting aluminum chloride catalyzed isomerization of sym-octahydrophenanthrene to sym-octahydroanthracene with aralkyl halide

摘要

A method is disclosed for promoting isomerization of sym-octahydrophenanthrene (s-OHP) to sym-octahydroanthracene (s-OHA) in the presence of a catalyst provided by aluminum chloride or aluminum bromide, or a mixture of these two compounds. The rate of isomerization is increased by having the reaction run in the presence of an aralkyl halide such as benzyl chloride.