benzocyclobutadiene
Benzocyclobutadiene is the simplest polycyclic hydrocarbon, being composed of an aromatic benzene ring fused to an anti-aromatic cyclobutadiene ring. It has chemical formula . Though the benzene ring is stabilized by aromaticity, the cyclobutadiene portion has a destabilizing effect. This results into it being a non-aromatic compound - neither behaving as aromatic nor an antiaromatic one. For this reason, benzocyclobutadiene will readily dimerize or polymerize and it reacts as a dienophile in Diels-Alder reactions.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C8H6
- Molecular weight
- 102.13 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-1(8),2,4,6-tetraene
via PubChem
Article
2 sectionsContents
- See also
- References
Benzocyclobutadiene is the simplest polycyclic hydrocarbon, being composed of an aromatic benzene ring fused to an anti-aromatic cyclobutadiene ring. It has chemical formula . Though the benzene ring is stabilized by aromaticity, the cyclobutadiene portion has a destabilizing effect. This results into it being a non-aromatic compound - neither behaving as aromatic nor an antiaromatic one. For this reason, benzocyclobutadiene will readily dimerize or polymerize and it reacts as a dienophile in Diels-Alder reactions.
Benzocyclobutadiene is used in the production of the pharmaceutical drug naflocort.