The present review deals with the preparation and the properties of star-shaped conjugated compounds. Three, four or six conjugated arms are attached to cross-conjugated cores, which consist of single atoms (B, C⁺, N), benzene or azine rings or polycyclic ring systems, as for example triphenylene or tristriazolotriazine. Many of these shape-persistent [n]star compounds tend to π-stacking and self-organization, and exhibit interesting properties in materials science: Linear and non-linear optics, electrical conductivity, electroluminescence, formation of liquid crystalline phases, etc.

Benzo-condensed four-ring heterocycles, such as benzoxetes 1 and benzothietes 3 represent multi-purpose starting compounds for the preparation of various higher heterocyclic ring systems. The thermal or photochemical valence isomerizations between the benzenoid forms 1,3 and the higher reactive o-quinoid structures 2,4 provide the basis for the synthetic applications. On the other hand, this valence isomerization impedes in particular the generation and storage of 1 because the thermal equilibrium 1 2 is completely on the side of 2. Thus, the number of erroneous or questionable benzoxete structures published to date is surprisingly high. On the contrary, the thermal equilibrium 3 4 is on the side of the benzothietes 3, which makes them easily accessible, especially by different flash vacuum pyrolysis techniques. The present article gives a survey of the preparations of 1 and 2, and tries to stimulate their use in synthetic projects. Naphtho-condensed and higher condensed compounds and compounds with an exocyclic C=O or S=O double bond (lactones, thiolactones, sulfoxides and sulfones) are not covered in this article.

Reaction of enaminones 1a–d with 2-aminoprop-1-ene-1,1,3-tricarbonitrile (2) in the presence of AcOH/NH₄OAc afforded 7-amino-5-oxo-5,6-dihydro-1,6-naphthyridine-8-carbonitrile derivatives 9a–d. On the other hand, 2-aminopyrano[4,3,2-de] [1,6]naphthyridine-3-carbonitriles 20a–c,e were the only obtained products from the reactions of 1a–d with 2 in the presence of AcOH/NaOAc, while 1d afforded [3,5-bis-(4-chloro-benzoyl)-phenyl]-(4-chloro-phenyl)-methanone 21 under the same condition. The reaction of 2 with diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of AcOH/NH₄OAc afforded (4-cyano-5-dicyanomethylene-2-oxo-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)-acetic acid ethyl ester 15B.

(E,E,E)-1,3,5-Tris(3,4,5-trimethoxystyryl)benzene (1a) forms monoclinic crystals of the space group P2₁/c. Incorporation of three transoid diacetyl guest molecules between the three arms leads to triclinic crystals of the space group P1. The styryl groups, originally present in a nonsymmetrical conformation, are simultaneously transformed to a C₃ arrangement. (E,E,E)-1,3,5-Tris- (3,4,5-tripropoxystyryl)benzene (1b) forms monoclinic crystals of the space group P2₁/c. The C₃ arrangement of the styryl groups is present in the first, the unsymmetrical arrangement in the second modification. Incorporation of two acetone guests in the largest and the middle-sized angle space between the styryl arms in the unsymmetrical arrangement, leads to monoclinic crystals of the space group P2₁/n. The third (smallest) angle space is filled with a propoxy chain of the neighboring molecule. The pure host crystals show significant deviations from planarity which are strongly reduced by the incorporation of the guest molecules.