Name: using frost circles to test aromaticity
Uploaded: 2025-05-22T09:05:43.000Z
Duration: 1 min 18 s
Channel: JoVE

根据休克尔规则，苯具有稳定性且为芳香性化合物，而环丁二烯和环辛四烯则不稳定且不具有芳香性。
这些化合物的芳香性可以通过它们的弗罗斯特圆图来理解。
苯的Frost圆包含六个π分子轨道。所有低能成键轨道均被六个π电子完全占据，而高能反键轨道则为空。因此，苯具有稳定性且表现为芳香性。
环丁二烯和环辛四烯的Frost圆分别具有四个和八个π分子轨道。
这两种化合物的成键轨道均为全充满，而非键轨道为单电子占据，反键轨道则为空轨道。
显然，高能非键轨道中存在π电子使得这两种化合物不稳定，且不具有芳香性。
总体而言，当一个分子的所有 π 电子都成对地处于成键分子轨道中时，该分子被认为是芳香性的。若化合物的电子位于非成键轨道中，则不具有芳香性。

不同共轭系统的 frost 圆

Frost Circles for Different Conjugated Systems

内切多边形方法符合休克尔的 4n + 2规则，有助于了解给定的环状化合物是否为芳香族。 如果每个成键分子轨道 (MO) 完全充满一对电子，则该化合物是稳定且芳香的。 然而，如果非键或反键轨道充满电子，则该化合物不稳定并且不是芳香族的。 考虑含有 4 至 8 个碳的环烯烃的弗罗斯特圆图。

 <img alt="Figure1" src="/files/ftp_upload/12866/12866_Figure_1.svg" style="text-align: center; height: 75px;">

 通过观察弗罗斯特圆，可以看出成键分子轨道的数量总是奇数，并且成键分子轨道中所需的π电子数量为2或6。电子数量完全满足芳香性的4n + 2规则 。 因此，具有完全充满成键分子轨道的化合物是芳香族的。


 对于具有4个π电子的四元环丁二烯和具有8个π电子的八元环辛四烯，成键分子轨道被完全填充，并且每个非成键分子轨道被单独占据。 高能非成键分子轨道中电子的存在使得它们不稳定并且不具有芳香性。 而五元环戊二烯基阴离子、六元苯、七元环庚三烯基阳离子均具有6个π电子，相应的成键分子轨道被完全占据且稳定，因此它们具有芳香族性。


 总体而言，具有完全填充的成键分子轨道的分子被认为是芳香族的，而在除成键以外的轨道上具有电子的化合物不是芳香族的。

不同共轭系统的 Frost 圆

内接多边形法与Hückel的4n + 2规则一致，有助于判断给定的环状化合物是否具有芳香性。

frost-circles-for-different-conjugated-systems

Education

教育

JoVE Core

Organic Chemistry

有机化学

Unit 1

第一单元

Aromatic Compounds

芳香族化合物

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

关键术语与概念

using frost circles to test aromaticity

Frost circles help test whether a cyclic compound is aromatic by using the inscribed polygon method and Hückel’s 4n + 2 rule. A compound is stable and aromatic when every bonding molecular orbital (MO) is completely filled with a pair of electrons. If electrons occupy non-bonding or antibonding orbitals, the compound is unstable and not aromatic.

Frost circle diagrams for cycloalkenes with 4 to 8 carbons show a clear pattern. The number of bonding MOs is always odd. The electrons needed to fill only the bonding MOs are usually 2 or 6, and that matches the 4n + 2 rule for aromaticity. When those bonding orbitals are completely filled, the compound is aromatic.

Some examples do not fit this stable pattern. Cyclobutadiene has 4π electrons, and cyclooctatetraene has 8π electrons. In both cases, the bonding MOs are filled, but each non-bonding MO is singly occupied. Electrons in these higher-energy non-bonding orbitals make the compounds unstable and not aromatic.

Other examples do satisfy the aromatic pattern. The cyclopentadienyl anion, benzene, and the cycloheptatrienyl cation each have 6π electrons. Their bonding MOs are fully occupied, so they are stable and aromatic. In general, molecules with completely filled bonding molecular orbitals are aromatic, while molecules with electrons in orbitals other than bonding are not.

Using Frost Circles to Test Aromaticity

aromatic compounds: overview

Aromatic Compounds in Plants and Fuels

Aromatic compounds are linked to both pleasant smells and important chemical structures. The word aromatic first came from fragrant natural sources such as fresh flowers and spices. Early organic chemists isolated benzene derivatives from oils of plants, including vanillin from vanilla, methyl salicylate from wintergreen, and cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon. The history of benzene also helped shape the idea of aromatic compounds. In 1825, Faraday isolated benzene from compressed illuminating gas,...

nomenclature of aromatic compounds with a single substituent

nomenclature-of-aromatic-compounds-with-a-single-substituent

Naming Benzene Derivatives with One Group

Benzene derivatives with one substituent are named by attaching the substituent name to benzene. Benzene is the simplest aromatic hydrocarbon, also called an arene. For simple monosubstituted benzene compounds, IUPAC naming uses the group name as a prefix. Halogen-substituted benzene compounds follow this pattern. The halogen prefix can be fluoro, chloro, bromo, or iodo. When an alkyl group is attached to the benzene ring, the name depends on the chain length of that group. If the alkyl chain...

nomenclature of aromatic compounds with multiple substituents

nomenclature-of-aromatic-compounds-with-multiple-substituents

Naming Benzene Rings with Multiple Groups

Naming benzene rings with multiple groups depends on how many substituents are attached. For benzene derivatives with two groups, three constitutional isomers are possible. The position of each group is described with IUPAC naming rules. For disubstituted benzene compounds, the relative positions can be shown with ortho, meta, and para. These terms are also written as o, m, and p. They can also be written with numbers, such as 1,2- for ortho, 1,3- for meta, and 1,4- for para. Dimethyl benzene,...

structure of benzene: kekul&eacute; model

Kekule’s Benzene Model and Its Limits

Kekule’s benzene model describes benzene as a six-carbon ring with alternating pi bonds. August Kekule proposed this structure in 1865 from the formula C6H6, the idea that all benzene hydrogens are equivalent, and the rule that each carbon has four bonds because of tetravalency. In this model, each carbon is attached to one hydrogen atom. It also predicts two isomers for 1,2-disubstituted benzene derivatives. In one form, the substituted carbons are linked by a double bond, and in the other...

structure of benzene: molecular orbital model

structure-of-benzene-molecular-orbital-model

Benzene π Orbitals and Electron Delocalization

Benzene has a planar ring structure with delocalized π electrons. Its six carbon atoms form a regular hexagon, and each carbon is sp2 hybridized. The C–C–C and H–C–C bond angles are 120°, which matches the flat shape of the ring. Each carbon is bonded to three other atoms. The C–H bond length is 109 pm, and the C–C bond length is 139 pm. That C–C distance is midway between the single bond length of sp3 hybridized carbons, 154 pm, and the sp2 value, 133 pm. Beneath and above the ring plane,...

criteria for aromaticity and the h&uuml;ckel 4n + 2 rule

criteria-for-aromaticity-and-the-hckel-4n-2-rule

H&uuml;ckel Rule and Aromatic Ring Criteria

Aromatic rings follow H&amp;uuml;ckel’s rule, also called the 4n + 2 rule. This rule helps identify which unsaturated cyclic compounds are aromatic and why some ring systems are unstable instead. Benzene is the classic example, while cyclobutadiene and cyclooctatetraene show different behavior and are not aromatic. Eric H&amp;uuml;ckel, a German chemical physicist, first described the structural features needed for aromaticity. An aromatic compound must be cyclic, planar, and continuously...

h&uuml;ckel's rule diagram of &pi; mos: frost circle

Frost Circle for Pi Orbital Energies

The Frost circle is a graphical method for showing the relative energies of pi molecular orbitals in planar, fully conjugated, monocyclic compounds. It is also called the inscribed polygon method. A. A. Frost and Boris Musulin first described this method in 1953. To build a Frost circle, draw a polygon with the same number of edges as the number of carbons in the cyclic system. Place one vertex pointing downward. Then draw a circle around the polygon so that every vertex touches the circle.

frost circles for different conjugated systems

Frost circles help test whether a cyclic compound is aromatic by using the inscribed polygon method and Hückel’s 4n + 2 rule. A compound is stable and aromatic when every bonding molecular orbital (MO) is completely filled with a pair of electrons. If electrons occupy non-bonding or antibonding orbitals, the compound is unstable and not aromatic. Frost circle diagrams for cycloalkenes with 4 to 8 carbons show a clear pattern. The number of bonding MOs is always odd. The electrons needed to...

aromatic hydrocarbon anions: structural overview

aromatic-hydrocarbon-anions-structural-overview

Cyclopentadienyl Anion and Aromaticity

Cyclopentadiene is a neutral hydrocarbon that is not aromatic. It contains an odd number of carbon atoms and one CH2 group in the ring. With only 4 pi electrons, it does not follow the 4n + 2 pi electron rule. The CH2 carbon is sp3 hybridized, so it has no vacant p orbital to keep p orbitals overlapped around the ring. That break in overlap stops pi electrons from spreading across the entire ring. As a result, cyclopentadiene does not meet the usual aromaticity criteria. If one hydrogen is...

aromatic hydrocarbon cations: structural overview

aromatic-hydrocarbon-cations-structural-overview

Cycloheptatrienyl Cation and Aromaticity

Cycloheptatriene is a neutral monocyclic unsaturated hydrocarbon with seven carbon atoms. One carbon in the ring is sp3 hybridized, which breaks the continuous overlap of p orbitals. Even though the ring has three double bonds and 6 π electrons, cycloheptatriene is not aromatic because the p orbitals do not form one uninterrupted loop. Removing one hydrogen from the CH2 group changes the ring. If that hydrogen is removed with both, one, or no electrons, the products are the cycloheptatrienyl...

five-membered heterocyclic aromatic compounds: overview

five-membered-heterocyclic-aromatic-compounds-overview

Five-Membered Aromatic Rings with Heteroatoms

Five-membered aromatic rings with heteroatoms are cyclic compounds that contain one or more atoms other than carbon in the ring. They are aromatic and can have either five or six atoms in the ring. Common examples include pyrrole, furan, thiophene, and imidazole. These rings differ by the heteroatom present. Pyrrole has one nitrogen atom with one lone pair of electrons. Furan has one oxygen atom, and thiophene has one sulfur atom. Both furan and thiophene have two lone pairs of electrons.

nmr spectroscopy of aromatic compounds

Aromatic Ring Shifts in NMR Spectra

Aromatic ring shifts in NMR spectra help identify aromatic compounds using proton NMR and carbon-13 NMR. Aromatic hydrogens are often strongly deshielded by the aromatic ring current, so they usually appear in the 6.5–8.0 ppm range in proton NMR. In benzene, the hydrogens directly bonded to the ring absorb at 7.3 ppm. Larger aromatic rings can place hydrogens outside the usual range. In [18]annulene, the 12 outer hydrogens are highly deshielded by the ring current and absorb downfield at 9.3...

key terms and concepts

Learn how Frost circles and the inscribed polygon method use Hückel’s 4n + 2 rule to identify aromatic cyclic compounds and unstable non-aromatic cases.

Using Frost Circles to Test Aromaticity | JoVE K12

organic chemistry

JoVE Core 有机化学（Organic Chemistry）使用简明易懂的动画视频课程解释立体化学、反应和机制的基本概念。 此外，科学家在行动视频展示了相关概念在当今世界各地实验室进行的经典和原创研究实验中的应用。

Using Frost Circles to Test Aromaticity

Description

Transcript

Tags