Homoaromaticity for undergraduate students : The basics and a bit more

Department of Chemistry,

St. Paul's Cathedral Mission College,

33/1, Raja Rammohan Ray Sarani, Kolkata-700 009, India

E-mail : kb. spcmc@gmail.com

As an extension of the important concept of aromaticity, the topics of homoaromaticity and homoconjugation have been rightly introduced in the undergraduate syllabus. Discussion of these topics hinges critically upon the introduction to the so called "no-bond, through space" overlap between orbitals which, in turn, may pose a serious intellectual barrier to young students unfamiliar with such alien concept of non-classical bonding. This paper attempts to dispel the possible confusions and offers a basic understanding of homoaromaticity through a treatment suitable for undergraduate students.