Ethylene derivatives cumulenes

The first nonintroductory section of the text starts with the observation made early in this century that cyclopropanes have significant olefinic character. That is, corresponding ethylene and cyclopropane derivatives have significant similarities. There are literature comparisons of the thermochemistry of direct counterparts such as the parent species (1 and 2, X = H), propene and methylcyclopropane with X = Me, and of methyl acrylate and methyl cyclopropanecarboxylate 8 with X = COOMe. But the chemistry of substituted eth-ylenes is far richer than just that of vinyl compounds. One can retrieve enthalpy of formation data for cumulenes ( cumulenated olefins) such as allene (3) and both cis- and trans-2,3,4-hexatriene (4a and 4b), and for conjugated olefins such as 1,3-butadiene (5) and both (Z)- and (E)-1,3,5-hexatriene (6a and 6b). For the cyclopropane chemist it is natural to... 

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