Polycyclic Aromatics from Veratrole and Ninhydrin and Acenaphthenequinone †

Treatment of 2,2-di(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)indane-1,3-dione with concentrated sulfuric acid gives 2,3,6,7-tetramethoxydibenzo[a,c]fluoren-13-one while under the same conditions 2,2-di(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acenaph-thenone produces 2,3,6,7-tetramethoxydibenzo[j,l]fluoranthene.