Towards the synthesis of dbCOT: Condensation reaction approach
Dibenzo[a,e]cyclooctatetraene or dbCOT is a commonly used ligand in transition metal catalysis. Moreover, the Strand group has been using its properties to change shape (from tub-shaped to planar and vice versa upon reduction/oxidation) to develop novel molecular machines. However, the use of dbCOT in both transition metal catalysis and as a building block for molecular machines has been limited b