Aromatic bond localization

Whereas strained ring systems are usually reactive and often unstable, molecules which satisfy the criteria for aromaticity exhibit enhanced stability. As is evident from the structural formula of 1, the cycloproparenes set these features in juxtaposition as they are strained molecules in which a single carbon atom is fused across adjacent centres of an aromatic system. The interest of the experimentalist in strained molecules has been matched by the theoretician in the search for suitable models for developing the concepts of chemical bonding and aromaticity. The cycloproparenes have been particularly important in this regard as they meet the criterion for partial aromatic bond localization and consequent bond length alternation in the aromatic ring as proposed by Mills and Nixon in 1930, viz. la vs lb. The cation 5, anion 6 and radical 7 derived from 1, and also the ketone 8 and exocyclic methylene derivative 9, are of interest in this respect. 

The Mills-Nixon hypothesis had, as its foundation, certain differences in the chemical behaviour of indan (3) and tetralin (4) from which a localization of the aromatic 7r-bonds was predicted to occur in the direction depicted by la rather lb. The original experimental evidence upon which the effect was based was shown to be erroneous, but calculations at various levels of theory indicated that aromatic bond localization should exist and become more pronounced as the size of the annelated ring decreases In essence one can recognize that the structure of benzene has a symmetry such that both Kekule structures must contribute equally. With Q tetralin (4) (and the lower homologues) no such symmetry requirement exists and ring annelation could induce bond length alternation within the arene nucleus. As the strain imposed by the fused ring increases, the Mills-Nixon effect should increase. The hypothesis has been the subject of considerable discussion and the controversy is far from settled. 

The weak aromaticity of oxazole is reflected by its chemical behavior, demonstrating a high degree of bond localization (illustrated by the propensity for cycloaddition reactions),137 and is supported by theoretical calculations (ring current indices, i.e., the bond... 

Coordination of vinylarenes to an Fe(CO)3 group gives rise to a complex (95) in which the metal is bound to the vinyl carbons and two of the carbons within the six-membered ring (equation ll)107. Crystal structure analysis indicates substantial bond localization in the uncomplexed portion of the ring. This has been interpreted as a loss of aromatic character due to participation of some of the 7r-electrons in coordination to iron. 

Bond angle/bond length relationships do not readily account for the bond localization noted for starphenylene (116) and triphenylene (124). A cursory examination of the structures reveals that in these cases the annelated cycles can have an aromatic character of their own. In staiphenylene the cycle would contain four electrons and be antiaromatic, whereas in triphenylene the cycle would have six electrons and be aromatic. From the simple Huckel rule, the antiaromatic cycle should be disfavored. In such a case, structural stabilization can be accomplished by greater contribution from the resonance form that has single-bond character at the endo-honA. The reverse is expected for the aromatic cycle. This model is simple, predictive, and accurate ... 

SINDOl calculations, which successfully reproduced both the geometry and the aromaticity of the cyclooctatetraene dianion, predict a high degree of bond localization and nonplanarity for 1,4-dioxocin and its derivatives (84JOC4475). 

Advances in spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques, and in computational methods, have allowed for detailed physical and theoretical analyses of the cycloproparenes. Central to a consideration of this interesting class of compounds is their role in debate over the Mills-Nixon effect—the concept of bond localization within the aromatic ring. 

Figure 3. Bond localization necessary aromatic ground state.

Morita, T. Bond localization and the hyperconjugative effect in the aromatic car-bonium ions. I. Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan 32, 893 (1960a). 

The donor/acceptor properties and the electronic coupling interactions determine the redistribution of electron density between the aromatic donor and the electron acceptor upon complexation. Significant changes in structure and reactivity of the coordinated arene can be rationalized in terms of spectral and thermodynamic properties within the framework of the CT formalism. This section is devoted to a consideration of the structural effects of arene coordination (in terms of donor/acceptor bond distance and type of bonding, distortion of arene planarity, expansion of the aromatic ring, and re-bond localization). 

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