Table of Contents

AROMATICITY

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

GETTING STARTED

STEPS REQUIRED

Examine the structure of benzene

Examine the structure of cyclooctatetraene.

Consider what happens when we treat cyclooctatetraene with a powerful reducing agent

Consider what happens if we treat benzene with oxidizing or reducing agents

Do you see a pattern forming?

Molecular orbital description

Requirements for aromaticity

Use Huckels rule to predict aromaticity

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCEPTS

SHAPES OF MOLECULES: VSEPR MODEL

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

GETTING STARTED

STEPS REQUIRED

Examine the structures of di-, tri-, and tetrachloro mercury

The VSEPR model

Apply the VSEPR model to predict basic shape

Modifications to basic shapes: considering the effect of lone pairs

Further examples

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCEPTS

HAPTICITY

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

GETTING STARTED

STEPS REQUIRED

Investigating metal-carbon bonding

Acyclic ligands

Cyclic ligands

Variable hapticity

Heteroatoms in rings

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCEPTS

CONFORMATIONS OF RINGS

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

GETTING STARTED

STEPS REQUIRED

Investigate angle strain in planar rings.

Calculating angle strain in actual compounds

Compare predicted angle strain against that calculated from actual compounds

Examine the conformation of cyclopropane

Examine the conformation of cyclobutane

Examine the conformation of cyclopentane

Examine the conformation of cyclohexane

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCEPTS

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: DETERMINING THE PREFERRED INTERNAL BOND ANGLE IN CYCLOHEXANE USING THE FULL CSD

STEREOCHEMISTRY

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

GETTING STARTED

STEPS REQUIRED

Investigate the structure of the amino acid alanine.

Identifying chirality.

Describing the configuration of a chiral centre.

Compounds containing more than one stereogenic center.

Compounds that contain stereogenic centers but are achiral.

ADVANCED EXCERCISE

Compounds with quadrivalent chiral atoms other than carbon.

Substituted adamantanes.

Compounds with tervalent chiral atoms.

Chirality due to restricted rotation,

Chirality due to helical shape.

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCEPTS