Substituent Effect versus Aromaticity─A Curious Case of Fulvene Derivatives

J Org Chem. 2023 Oct 20;88(20):14775-14780. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c01539. Epub 2023 Sep 29.

Abstract

A computational study on amino- and nitro-substituted penta- and heptafulvenes reveals the interplay between the aromaticity and the substituent effect (SE). Ring substitution alone has little influence on the aromaticity, but in combination with an exo substituent of opposite properties, it substantially enhances the cyclic π-electron delocalization. Despite the SE being stronger for β substitution, only γ substitution leads to higher aromaticity. An explanation is provided by the electron density of delocalized bonds (EDDB) method, which proves to be a valuable tool in analyzing both cyclic delocalization and the SE.