910diphenylanthracene

9,10-Diphenylanthracene (C24H18) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of an anthracene core substituted with phenyl groups at the 9 and 10 positions. The compound has a molecular weight of approximately 306.4 g/mol and is typically nonpolar and hydrophobic. The extended π-conjugation of the fused ring system leads to strong ultraviolet absorption and intense fluorescence in the visible region.

The 9,10-phenyl substituents extend the conjugation and can cause a slight twist relative to the anthracene plane, but the molecule remains largely rigid. It exhibits high fluorescence quantum yield in many solvents and is valued for its photostability as a blue-emitting fluorophore. It is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents but essentially insoluble in water.

Common preparation routes involve palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions on 9,10-dihaloanthracene derivatives. For example, Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of 9,10-dihaloanthracene with phenylboronic acids furnishes the 9,10-diphenyl substitutions. Alternative routes include other cross-couplings or arylation strategies.

Due to its strong fluorescence, 9,10-diphenylanthracene is used as a model fluorophore in spectroscopic studies, as a dopant or emitter in organic light-emitting devices, and as a scintillator dopant or energy-transfer partner in polymer matrices. It serves in research on excimers and energy transfer in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon systems.

As with other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, it should be handled with appropriate safety precautions, including gloves and adequate ventilation, and disposed of according to institutional guidelines.