Abstract
The Kekulé description of benzene as a mixture of the two structures and was given a firm foundation in quantum theory as a ‘resonance hybrid’ (see, for example, ref. 1). As molecular orbital (MO) theory developed, it was felt that the aromatic character of benzene was explained more naturally in terms of delocalized orbitais. The view that delocalized electrons provide essentially the correct description for this type of system appears to be accepted at all levels2; however, we present here theoretical evidence which challenges this view. We show that the π-electrons in benzene are almost certainly localized and that the characteristic properties of such a system arise from the mode of spin coupling.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
196,21 € per year
only 3,85 € per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Coulson, C. A. Valence 2nd edn, Ch. 9 (Clarendon, Oxford, 1961).
Ramsden, E. N. A-Level Chemistry (Stanley Thornes, 1985).
Gerratt, J. Adv. atom. molec. Phys. 7, 141–221 (1971).
Gerratt, J. & Raimondi, M. Proc. R. Soc. A371, 525–552 (1980).
Cooper, D. L., Gerratt, J. & Raimondi, M. Faraday Symp. chem. Soc. 19, 149–163 (1984).
Cooper, D. L., Gerratt, J. & Raimondi, M. Adv. chem. Phys. (in the press).
Dunning, T. H. & Hay, P. J. in Methods of Electronic Structure Theory (ed. Schaefer, H. F.) ch. 1 (Plenum, New York, 1977).
Pauncz, R. The Alternant Molecular Orbital Method (Saunders, Philadelphia, 1967).
Hiberty, P. C., Shaik, S. S., Lefour, J.-M. & Ohanessian, G. J. org. Chem. 50, 4657–4659 (1985).
Norbeck, J. M. & Gallup, G. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 96, 3386–3393 (1974).
Tantardini, G. F., Raumondi, M. & Simonetta, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 99, 2913–2918 (1977).
Pauncz, R. Spin Eigenfunctions (Plenum, New York, 1979).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cooper, D., Gerratt, J. & Raimondi, M. The electronic structure of the benzene molecule. Nature 323, 699–701 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323699a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/323699a0
