Very-low-lying electronic states result from n --> pi excitations in open-shell annulenes, annelated with

Xin Zhou1, David A Hrovat, Weston Thatcher Borden

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, P.O. Box 305070, Denton, Texas 76203-5070, USA.

Organic Letters
|February 9, 2008
PubMed

Related Concept Videos

π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Aromatic and Antiaromatic Compounds01:14

π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Aromatic and Antiaromatic Compounds

In aromatic compounds, such as benzene, the circulation of (4n + 2) π-electrons sets up a diamagnetic or diatropic ring current around the perimeter of the molecule. This current induces a magnetic field that opposes the external field inside the ring and reinforces it on the outside. The protons in benzene are deshielded and exhibit high chemical shifts in the range 6.5–8.5 ppm. The shielding effect at the center of the ring is evident in complex aromatic molecules, such as annulenes. In...
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview01:27

π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview

An applied magnetic field causes loosely bound π-electrons in organic molecules to circulate, producing a local or induced diamagnetic field over a large spatial volume. As the molecules tumble in solution, the field generated by π-electrons in spherical substituents results in a zero net field. However, the net field generated by π-electrons in non-spherical substituents is not zero. The effect of this induced field depends on the orientation of the molecule with respect to B0, resulting in...
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions01:16

UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions

In Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, the absorption of electromagnetic radiation is used to probe the electronic structure of molecules. This technique provides insights into molecular electronic transitions, particularly the movement of electrons between different molecular orbitals. Radiation is absorbed if the energy of the electromagnetic radiation passing through the molecule is precisely equal to the energy difference between the excited and ground states. During this process,...
π Molecular Orbitals of the Allyl Cation and Anion01:18

π Molecular Orbitals of the Allyl Cation and Anion

An allyl group is a three-carbon conjugated system where the sp³-hybridized allylic carbon is bonded to a CH=CH2 group via a single bond. Allyl anions can be obtained by treating propene with a strong base that can deprotonate methyl groups. Allyl cations are formed as intermediates during substitution reactions involving allylic halides. In both cases, the hybridization of the allylic carbon changes from sp3 to sp2, giving rise to a carbon chain with three sp2-hybridized carbons, each with an...
π Molecular Orbitals of 1,3-Butadiene01:24

π Molecular Orbitals of 1,3-Butadiene

Conjugated dienes have lower heats of hydrogenation than cumulated and isolated dienes, making them more stable. The enhanced stabilization of conjugated systems can be understood from their π molecular orbitals.
The simplest conjugated diene is 1,3-butadiene: a four-carbon system where each carbon is sp2-hybridized and has an unhybridized p orbital that contains an unpaired electron. According to molecular orbital theory, atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals such that the number...
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview01:18

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview

Neutral hydrocarbons like cyclopentadiene with an odd number of carbon atoms and one intervening CH2 group in the ring are not aromatic. Cyclopentadiene with 4 π electrons does not satisfy the 4n + 2 π electron rule. Additionally, the intervening CH2 group is sp3 hybridized and lacks a vacant p orbital, thereby interrupting the overlap of p orbitals in a continuous manner and preventing the delocalization of π electrons throughout the ring.
Due to the absence of continuous overlap of p...