Arynes in the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are of great interest as a result of their self-assembly properties and excellent charge-transfer abilities. They are therefore promising candidates for organic semiconducting devices. In order to develop better optoelectronic devices, chemists have made considerable effort to investigate synthetic methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Among many building blocks, arynes are a promising reactive intermediate for the construction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and so have been studied over many decades. In this review, we will summarize recent progress on the construction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using arynes as starting materials.