Polycyclic aromatic compounds polyenes

The polyene chain further decomposes under the influence of heat, generating aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, styrene, naphthalene, etc. This type of reaction can be the source of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in traces during the pyrolysis of certain vinyl polymers. The elimination of a HX molecule from a vinyl type polymer is favored by the presence of a p-double bond in a compound of the form -CH2-CHX-CH=CH-. For this reason the side reaction for vinyl polymers is slower for the intact polymer and accelerates as the polymer tends to decompose. 

Other kinds of aromatic eom])ounds exist besides simple benzene derivatives. Two common types will be covered in this chapter polycyclic fused benzenoid hydrocarbons and other cyclic conjugated polyenes with either more or less than six carbons in the ring. In Chapter 25, a third common class, heterocyclic aromatic compounds, will be pre.sented. 

Substituted benzene compounds belong to a class of conjugated compounds called arenes. Examples include benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene. The common structural feature of arenes is a monocyclic or polycyclic system of k electrons that results in a special stability called aromaticity. As a result, aromatic compounds are much less reactive in electrophilic addition reactions than we would expect based on the reactivity of polyenes. 

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