- Homoaromaticity
Homoaromaticity in
organic chemistry is found in conjugated cyclic systems that are able to skip a part of the ring as opposed to regulararomaticity . Like ordinary aromatic compounds, homoaromatic compounds are more stable than what would be expected based on conjugation alone. Homoaromaticity as a concept was developed bySaul Winstein Ref|Winstein Ref|Winstein2 and first observed in a 3-bicyclo [3.1.0] hexyl cation ("scheme 1").The
solvolysis reaction was found to be much faster when thetosyl leaving group was positioned equatorial and not axial in the ring facilitatinganchimeric assistance of the cyclopropanesigma bond to thenon-classical ion . The positive charge in this ion is delocalized over three carbon atoms containing 2 pi-electrons obeyingHückel's rule . A total of three methylene groups are excluded from the conjugated system and therefore the ion is a trishomoaromat.Another example of a homoaromatic system is the 6 electron homotropylium ion ("scheme 2").
The bridged Bicyclo [3.2.1] octa-3,6-dien-2-yl cation depicted in "scheme 3" is bishomoantiaromic because it contains 4 electrons making it
antiaromatic Ref|Volz. The cation is prepared at low temperatures in a superacidic solvent consisting offluorosulfuric acid andsulfuryl chloride fluoride and it can recombine with amethoxy anion as a 50/50 mixture ofisomer s. Antiaromatic behaviour in this system is evidenced fromNMR analysis andreaction rate s in solvolysis experiments.External links
* Homoaromaticity
Gold Book [http://www.iupac.org/goldbook/H02839.pdf Link]References
# "The tris-homocyclopropenyl cation" S. Winstein, Joseph Sonnenberg, Louis De Vries
J. Am. Chem. Soc. ; 1959; 81(24); 6523-6524. [http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jacsat/1959/81/i24/f-pdf/f_ja01533a051.pdf Abstract]
# "Homo-aromatic structures " S. WinsteinJ. Am. Chem. Soc. ; 1959; 81(24); 6524-6525. [http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jacsat/1959/81/i24/f-pdf/f_ja01533a052.pdf Abstract]
# "Bicyclo [3.2.1] octa-3,6-dien-2-yl Cation: A Bishomoantiaromate" Heinrich Volz and Jung-Hyu ShinJ. Org. Chem. ; 2006; 71(6) pp 2220 - 2226 [http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jo0515125 Abstract]
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