Benzyl free radical is aromatic bcoz it contains (a) 6 p orbital 6π el...
Benzyl free radical is aromatic bcoz it contains (a) 6 p orbital 6π el...
Benzyl free radical is aromatic because it contains 6 p orbitals and 6π electrons. This can be explained using the following points:
Explanation:
- Aromaticity is a property of cyclic compounds that exhibit a higher stability due to the delocalization of electrons in a conjugated system.
- In order for a compound to be aromatic, it must meet certain criteria which include having a cyclic structure, a planar geometry, and a fully conjugated system of π electrons.
- Benzyl free radical is a cyclic compound with a planar structure and a fully conjugated system of π electrons.
- It contains a total of 6 p orbitals which are involved in the conjugation of the π electrons. These p orbitals are located on the six carbon atoms of the benzyl ring.
- The π electrons are delocalized over the entire ring system, resulting in a stable molecule with a lower energy than expected for a non-aromatic compound.
- The presence of the benzyl free radical's aromaticity can be confirmed by Hückel's rule, which states that a compound is aromatic if it contains 4n + 2 π electrons, where n is an integer.
- Benzyl free radical contains 6π electrons, which satisfies Hückel's rule for n=1 and confirms its aromaticity.
Therefore, the correct answer is (a) 6 p orbitals and 6π electrons.