Tertiary alcohols containing the 4,5-bis(dimethylamino)-1-naphthyl group were synthesized. The carbocations that formed from n-methyl-containing alcohols in an acidic medium underwent smooth E1 elimination to give the corresponding unsaturated derivatives of the "proton sponge" in good yields. At the same time, the carbocation generated from 4-(alpha-hydroxybenzhydryl)-1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene was converted into a benzo[a]fluorene derivative as a result of a complex reaction which has been previously unknown in the chemistry of "proton sponges." The structure of the latter derivative was established by X-ray diffraction analysis.
The 1-[1,8-bis(dimethylamino)-4-naphthyl]ethyl carbocation generated from the corresponding alcohol in benzene in the presence of Al2O3 undergoes elimination according to the El mechanism to give previously unknown 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)-4-vinylnaphthalene in a good yield: This compound was also synthesized from 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)4-formylnaphthalene by the Wittig reaction. Polymerization of the vinylic derivative obtained was studied.