What is the difference between anti-aromatic and non aromatic compounds?

1 Answer
Simon Moore
Jul 27, 2016

Non aromatic compounds fullfil none of the requirements for aromaticity. Antiaromatic compounds have some of the requirements but not in terms of electron numbers.

Explanation:

Aromatic compounds are cyclic and have a #pi# electron system that contains (4n+2) #pi# electrons. The number of electrons allows delocalisation of the electron cloud which lowers the overall energy of the system and increases stability.

Anti-aromatic compounds are also cyclic, and each component carbon atom also exhibits #pi# bonidng, has a but actually have a higher energy due to the presence of (4n) #pi# electrons - the ring current observed in these compounds is paramagnetic, rather than diamagnetic.

Non-aromatic compounds are either not cyclic, or are cyclic without being "flat" rings (e.g. #sp^3# hybridised carbons, such as cyclohexane).

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