Gli eliceni presentano chiralità,[1] sebbene non presentino carboni asimmetrici o centri stereogenici (si parla in questo caso di "chiralità inerente"). Infatti a seconda del verso di rotazione della molecola (orario o antiorario) una molecola di elicene può essere destrogira o levogira, e tali enantiomeri (o isomeri ottici) non sono tra loro sovrapponibili.
Sintesi
Il primo esaelicene fu sintetizzato nel 1956 da M. S. Newman e D. Lednicer sfruttando la reazione di Friedel-Crafts su reagenti carbonilici.[15]
^Helicenes: Synthesis and Applications Yun Shen and Chuan-Feng Chen Chemical Reviews Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/cr200087r
^Diels–Alder Additions of Benzynes within Helicene Skeletons David Zhigang Wang, Thomas J. Katz, James Golen, and Arnold L. Rheingold J. Org. Chem.; 2004; 69(22) pp 7769–7771 DOI: 10.1021/jo048707h
^Meisenheimer, J. and Witte, K. (1903), Reduction von 2-Nitronaphtalin. Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft, 36: 4153–4164. DOI: 10.1002/cber.19030360481
^Synthese der isomeren Kohlenwasserstoffe 1, 2–5, 6-Dibenzanthracen und 3, 4–5, 6-Dibenzphenanthren Richard Weitzenböck and Albert Klingler Monatshefte für Chemie / Chemical Monthly Volume 39, Number 5, 315–323, DOI: 10.1007/BF01524529
^A new reagent for resolution by complex formation; the resolution of phenanthro-[3,4-c]phenanthrene Melvin S. Newman, Wilson B. Lutz, and Daniel Lednicer Journal of the American Chemical Society 1955 77 (12), 3420–3421 DOI: 10.1021/ja01617a097
^The Synthesis and Resolution of Hexahelicene Melvin S. Newman and Daniel Lednicer Journal of the American Chemical Society 1956 78 (18), 4765–4770 DOI: 10.1021/ja01599a060
^Synthesis of Hexahelicene and 1-Methoxyhexahelicene via Cycloisomerization of Biphenylyl-Naphthalene Derivatives. Storch J., Sýkora J., Čermák J., Karban J., Císařová I., Růžička A. J. Org. Chem.2009, 74, 3090. DOI: 10.1021/jo900077j
^One hundred years of helicene chemistry. Part 1: non-stereoselective syntheses of carbohelicenes Marc Gingras Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 968-1006 DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35154D
^One hundred years of helicene chemistry. Part 2: stereoselective syntheses and chiral separations of carbohelicenes Marc Gingras, Guy Félix and Romain Peresutti Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 1007-1050 DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35111K
^One hundred years of helicene chemistry. Part 3: applications and properties of carbohelicenes Marc Gingras Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 1051-1095 DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35134J
^Martin, R. H. (1974), The Helicenes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 13: 649–660. DOI: 10.1002/anie.197406491
^Recent Development of Helicene Synthesis Ken Kamikawa Journal of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan Vol. 72 (2014) No. 1 p. 58-67 DOI: 10.5059/yukigoseikyokaishi.72.58
^Newman, M. S.; Lednicer, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1956, 78, p. 4765-4770.