Structure of diphenanthro[1,2-b;2',1'-d]-furan at 191 K.

Diphenanthro[1,2-b;2',1'-d]furan crystallizes in space group Pnma (No. 62) with the mirror plane bisecting the molecule and passing through the furan O atom. Although exhibiting packing similar to that of dibenzofuran, this diphenanthrofuran showed no disorder of the sort found in that close molecular analog. The C atoms of the individual phenanthrene rings of the title compound have a mean deviation of 0.027 (21) A from the best least-squares plane describing the rings. The configuration and conformation of the individual phenanthrene rings in this diphenanthrofuran closely match the theoretical and experimental results for phenanthrene itself. Overall, this diphenanthrofuran molecule adopts a distinct V shape, the dihedral angle between the least-squares best-fit planes of the phenanthrene rings being 11.0 (1.2) degrees.