Dodecahydrotriphenylene forms metal-carbonyl complexes. It undergoes hydrogenation and rearrangement by action of AlCl₃ in inert atmosphere conditions at 20°C (hexane solution) or 70°C (heptane solution). It is formed by trimerization of cyclohexanone. It undergoes oxidation by peroxytrifluoroacetic acid and boron fluoride etherate at 0°C to form cross-conjugated cyclohexadieone.

Dodecahydrotriphenylene was used to develop a set of new bacterial bioreporters and assays for detection of long chain alkanes based on the marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis strain SK2.