Reaction of azulene with 1,2-bis[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-1,2-ethanediol in a mixed solvent of methanol and acetonitrile in the presence of hydrochloric acid: a facile one-pot synthesis and properties of new triarylethylenes possessing an azulen-1-yl grou

The title reaction gives the two new triarylethylenes 3 and 4, possessing an azulen-1-yl group, which upon addition reactions with 1 under the same reaction conditions as for the resulting products 3 and 4 afford the corresponding four new tetraarylethanes possessing the two azulen-1-yl groups. Along with the above reactions, another facile preparation of 3 and the related compounds, possessing interesting conjugated π-electron systems, is described.