With the fluorenol derivaLves in hand, cyclizaLons reacLons were done using strongly acidic media ( These superacid promoted reacLons to the spirocycles likely involve formaLon of dicaLonic electrophilic species. 7 For example, ionizaLon of compound 9 in superacid would involve protonaLon of the imidazole and then the hydroxy group to form the dicaLon 41 (Scheme 1). Loss of water then gives the fluorenyl dicaLon 42, which undergoes cyclizaLon to the spirocycle 10. In the case of substrate 40, no reacLon condiLons were found to give the desired spirocyclic product. This suggests that protonaLon of the nitrogen base sites gives dicaLon 43 and this species is unable to undergo further ionizaLon at the diazafluorenol group, presumably due to the instability of the tricaLonic intermediate that would form (Scheme 2).