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Barrelene

Barrelene
Barrelene structure.png
Barrelene 3D.png
Names
IUPAC name
Bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5,7-triene
Identifiers
500-24-3 YesY
3D model (Jmol) Interactive image
Interactive image
ChemSpider 120100 YesY
Properties
C8H8
Molar mass 104.15
Density 1.013 g/mL
Boiling point 153.7 °C (308.7 °F; 426.8 K)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
YesY  (what is YesYN ?)
Infobox references

Barrelene is a bicyclic organic compound with chemical formula C8H8 and systematic name bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5,7-triene. First synthesized and described by H. E. Zimmerman in 1960 the name derives from the obvious resemblance to a barrel, with the staves being three ethylene units attached to two methine groups. It is the formal Diels-Alder adduct of benzene and acetylene. Due to its unusual molecular geometry the compound is of considerable interest to theoretical chemists. Like benzene, barrelene has a set of 6 cyclic, but not planar, overlapping p-orbitals. Because of overlap of opposite-sign lobes, the structure represents Möbius aromaticity.

Triptycenes, with the alkene groups part of an arene, are related compounds. It is also a starting material for many other organic compounds such as semibullvalene.

The original Zimmerman synthesis modified in 1969 starts from coumalic acid:

(* The conversion of the bis-N-tosyl-imine into the bis-N-tosylacetamide analog, by mean of NaHCO3/Dioxane, seems a misprint. In fact the oxidation level of the tosylamide is one notch higher than tosylimine, but no oxidizing agent is reported. Maybe hydrogen peroxyde in place of water could have been cited in original work ?)

many alternative routes have been devised since then, one of them starting from oxepin:

An alternate route that allows synthesis of the parent barrelene system and a variety of substituted barrelenes has also been reported

Substituted Barrelene Synthesis


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