Formation of cubane-like photodimers from 2-naphthalenecarbonitrile

Irradiation of 2-naphthalenecarbonitrile (2-NpCN) in solution with a light lambda > 280 nm results in the formation of three rigid cubane-like photodimers, anti-head-to-head 1, anti-head-to-tail 2, and syn-head-to-tail 3, which are not in line with the previously recognized regioselectivity. These cubane-like photodimers have been well characterized by spectroscopic investigation and/or X-ray crystal structural analysis in this work. Moreover, the separation of the optically pure enantiomers of 1, 2, and 3 has been achieved by HPLC resolution.