Aromatic transition structures rules

The orbital phase theory can be applied to cyclically interacting systems which may be molecules at the equilibrium geometries or transition structures of reactions. The orbital phase continuity underlies the Hueckel rule for the aromaticity and the Woodward-Hoffmann rule for the stereoselection of organic reactions. 

Orbitals interact in cyclic manners in cyclic molecules and at cyclic transition structures of chemical reactions. The orbital phase theory is readily seen to contain the Hueckel 4n h- 2 ti electron rule for aromaticity and the Woodward-Hof nann mle for the pericyclic reactions. Both rules have been well documented. Here we review the advances in the cyclic conjugation, which cannot be made either by the Hueckel rule or by the Woodward-Hoffmann rule but only by the orbital phase theory. 

Three levels of explanation have been advanced to account for the patterns of reactivity encompassed by the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. The first draws attention to the frequency with which pericyclic reactions have a transition structure with (An + 2) electrons in a cyclic conjugated system, which can be seen as being aromatic. The second makes the point that the interaction of the appropriate frontier orbitals matches the observed stereochemistry. The third is to use orbital and state correlation diagrams in a compellingly satisfying treatment for those cases with identifiable elements of symmetry. Molecular orbital theory is the basis for all these related explanations. 

The terms aromatic and antiaromatic have been extended to describe the stabilization or destabilization of TRANSITION STATES of PERICYCLIC REACTIONS. The hypothetical reference structure is here less clearly defined, and use of the term is based on application of the Huckel (4n+2) rule and on consideration of the topology of orbital overlap in the transition state. Reactions of molecules in the ground state involving antiaromatic transition states proceed, if at all, much less easily than those involving aromatic transition states. 

The basis of this concept [32] is a simple parallel intuitively felt by Evans [154], between the ease of certain reactions and the arrangement of corresponding transition states. Thus, e.g., the ease of a majority of Diels-Alder reactions is related to the fact that transient structure created by approaching the diene and dienophilic components is isoconjugated, or in other words, topologically equivalent, with the aromatic benzene and as a such should be therefore stabilized, at least in part, as the benzene itself. This simple idea was revived by Dewar [32] who also generalized it into the form of simple rule that (thermally) allowed reactions proceed via aromatic transition states. The proposed theoretical justification of the above criterion arises from a simple idea of direct quantitative evaluation of the resemblance of electron structure of expected transition states with the appropriate aromatic standards. The quantitative measure of this resemblance is the similarily index (102), where Q and ref represent the density matrices of the expected transition state and the appropriate reference standard respectively. 

They argued that pre-equilibria to form Cl+ or S02C1+ may be ruled out, since these equilibria would be reversed by an increase in the chloride ion concentration of the system whereas rates remained constant to at least 70 % conversion during which time a considerable increase in the chloride ion concentration (the byproduct of reaction) would have occurred. Likewise, a pre-equilibrium to form Cl2 may be ruled out since no change in rate resulted from addition of S02 (which would reverse the equilibrium if it is reversible). If this equilibrium is not reversible, then since chlorine reacts very rapidly with anisole under the reaction condition, kinetics zeroth-order in aromatic and first-order in sulphur chloride should result contrary to observation. The electrophile must, therefore, be Cli+. .. S02CI4- and the polar and non-homolytic character of the transition state is indicated by the data in Table 68 a cyclic structure (VII) for the transition state was considered as fairly probable. 

The orbital phase theory includes the importance of orbital symmetry in chanical reactions pointed out by Fukui [11] in 1964 and estabhshed by Woodward and Holiimann [12,13] in 1965 as the stereoselection rule of the pericyclic reactions via cyclic transition states, and the 4n + 2n electron rule for the aromaticity by Hueckel. The pericyclic reactions and the cyclic conjugated molecules have a conunon feature or cychc geometries at the transition states and at the equihbrium structures, respectively. 

Besides the applications of the electrophilicity index mentioned in the review article [40], following recent applications and developments have been observed, including relationship between basicity and nucleophilicity [64], 3D-quantitative structure activity analysis [65], Quantitative Structure-Toxicity Relationship (QSTR) [66], redox potential [67,68], Woodward-Hoffmann rules [69], Michael-type reactions [70], Sn2 reactions [71], multiphilic descriptions [72], etc. Molecular systems include silylenes [73], heterocyclohexanones [74], pyrido-di-indoles [65], bipyridine [75], aromatic and heterocyclic sulfonamides [76], substituted nitrenes and phosphi-nidenes [77], first-row transition metal ions [67], triruthenium ring core structures [78], benzhydryl derivatives [79], multivalent superatoms [80], nitrobenzodifuroxan [70], dialkylpyridinium ions [81], dioxins [82], arsenosugars and thioarsenicals [83], dynamic properties of clusters and nanostructures [84], porphyrin compounds [85-87], and so on. 

Aromatic polyimides are well known for their unusual array of favorable physical properties, including excellent thermal stability and excimer-laser processing characteristics. The polyimide structure possesses lower-energy transitions such as n —> n, n —> o, n —> n, and a — n (in order of increasing energy71). However, the w — n and o —> n transitions are forbidden by symmetry rules and related absorptions are significantly weaker than those for... 

These studies, which employed density functional theory (DFT) methods (B3LYP/LANL2DZ/Gaussian 98) proposed that the reactions of all alkali metal phenoxides with C02 followed a similar ground mechanism that comprised three intermediates and three transition states. In step 1, C02 must first be activated by an alkali metal phenoxide. In the case of the sodium phenoxide [24a], C02 can only attack at the polarized O-Na bond to form a Ph0Na/C02 complex as the first intermediate (structure 4). The calculation definitely rules out a direct C-C bond formation at the aromatic ring. 

Day21 has given a careful account of the relationship between the Woodward-Hoffmann rules and Mobius/Hiickel aromaticity, and has defined the terms supra-facial and antarafacial in terms of the nodal structure of the atomic basis functions. His approach makes quite explicit the assumption that the transition state involves a cyclic array of basis functions. Thus the interconversion of prismane (10) and benzene, apparently an allowed (n2s+ 2S+ 2S) process, is in fact forbidden because there are additional unfavourable overlaps across the ring.2... 

If one organic compound has dominated the historical literature of the last few years, that compound must be benzene. Most probably, this is because its structure in some respects marks a transition from the most austere form of classical organic chemistry, in which carbon was tetravalent and tetrahedral, to a continuing series of changes from oscillating molecules, through partial valencies to MO descriptions, and Huckel s rules of aromaticity. It is the case par excellence of a single substance whose history intersects all major streams of chemical theory - except perhaps the periodic law - and which also has enormous industrial and economic importance. 

As with other aromatic substitutions, the substitution step itself can be considered to involve an approximately sps hybridization at the carbon atom under attack (10). In the idealized substitution process shown in Eq. (16), 10 may constitute either an intermediate or a transition state. If proton loss ensues directly, the process is properly called a substitution. In other situations the intermediate 10 may become allied with a radical or an anion, leading thereby to a covalent adduct 11. The final substituted product 12 may then be formed either by the elimination of H—Z (first H, then Z) or by the reversal to 10, followed by proton loss. The first case is a classical example of an addition-elimination halogenation, where the adduct is an essential species in the process. In the second case, structure 10 is a common intermediate for both the substitution and the addition reactions. Being merely a diversion of 10, the addition product is not essential to the substitution. In consequence of this, the isolation of adduct 11 may not mean that addition-elimination is the principal pathway of substitution reversal to 10 may be faster than the elimination of H—Z ( 2, k3>ki). On the other hand, the mere failure to detect adduct 11 does not rule out an addition-elimination process, for dehydrohalogenation of adduct 11 may be much faster than its formation (ki>klt k2). 

Three years earlier, in 1972, Banister had proposed that planar S-N heterocycles belong to a class of electron-rich aromatics , which conform to the Hiickel An + 2) TT-electron rule. These two aspects of S-N chemistry have attracted the attention of both synthetic chemists and theoreticians. Since the 1970s, the field has reached maturity. Many new S-N compounds with unusual structures and properties have been characterized, and theoretical studies have provided reasonable rationalizations of the structure-reactivity relationships of these fascinating compounds. The versatile behavior of S-N compounds as ligands in transition metal complexes has also been established. Recent studies have focused on the magnetic and conducting properties of materials derived from C-S-N radicals. ... 

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