Claus' benzene

Claus' benzene (C₆H₆) is a hypothetical hydrocarbon and an isomer of benzene ^[1]. It was proposed by Adolf Karl Ludwig Claus in 1867 ^[2] as a possible structure for benzene at a time when the structure of benzene was debated. The molecule can be described as a hexagon with carbon atoms positioned at the corners, with each carbon connected to its nearest ortho carbon and the two para carbons connected diametrically ^[3]. High strain energy makes its synthesis impossible.^[4]

References

1. ^ Organic Reactions And Their Mechanisms P S Kalsi 2000
2. ^ A. Claus, Theoretische Betrachtungen und deren Anwendungen zur Systematik der organischen Chemie, Freiburg, 1867, p. 207
3. ^ Warren, D. S.; Gimarc, B. M. (1992). "Valence isomers of benzene and their relationship to isomers of isoelectronic P6". Journal of the American Chemical Society 114: 5378. doi:10.1021/ja00039a058.  edit
4. ^ Hoffmann, R.; Hopf, H. (2008). "Learning from molecules in distress.". Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) 47 (24): 4474–4481. doi:10.1002/anie.200705775. PMID 18418829.  edit