Azulene

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Azulene
Azulen num.svg
Azulene 3d structure.png
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Azulene [1]
Systematic IUPAC name
Bicyclo[5.3.0]decapentaene
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.005.449 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
KEGG
PubChem CID
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C10H8/c1-2-5-9-7-4-8-10(9)6-3-1/h1-8H Yes check.svgY
    Key: CUFNKYGDVFVPHO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/C10H8/c1-2-5-9-7-4-8-10(9)6-3-1/h1-8H
    Key: CUFNKYGDVFVPHO-UHFFFAOYAT
  • c1cccc2cccc2c1
Properties
C10H8
Molar mass 128.174 g·mol−1
Melting point 99 to 100 °C (210 to 212 °F; 372 to 373 K)
Boiling point 242 °C (468 °F; 515 K)
-98.5·10−6 cm3/mol

g/L [2]

Thermochemistry
−1266.5 kcal/mol [3]
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Azulene is an aromatic organic compound and an isomer of naphthalene. Naphthalene is colourless, whereas azulene is dark blue. The compound is named after its colour, as "azul" is Spanish for blue. Two terpenoids, vetivazulene (4,8-dimethyl-2-isopropylazulene) and guaiazulene (1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene), that feature the azulene skeleton are found in nature as constituents of pigments in mushrooms, guaiac wood oil, and some marine invertebrates.

Contents

Azulene has a long history, dating back to the 15th century as the azure-blue chromophore obtained by steam distillation of German chamomile. The chromophore was discovered in yarrow and wormwood and named in 1863 by Septimus Piesse. Its structure was first reported by Lavoslav Ružička, followed by its organic synthesis in 1937 by Placidus Plattner.

Structure and bonding

The blue color of the mushroom Lactarius indigo is due to the azulene derivative (7-isopropenyl-4-methylazulen-1-yl)methyl stearate. Lactarius indigo 48568 edit.jpg
The blue color of the mushroom Lactarius indigo is due to the azulene derivative (7-isopropenyl-4-methylazulen-1-yl)methyl stearate.
The blue color of the mushroom Entoloma hochstetteri is also identified as another kind of azulene derivative: 7-acetyl-1,4-dimethylazulene. Entoloma hochstetteri.jpg
The blue color of the mushroom Entoloma hochstetteri is also identified as another kind of azulene derivative: 7-acetyl-1,4-dimethylazulene.

Azulene is usually viewed as resulting from fusion of cyclopentadiene and cycloheptatriene rings. Like naphthalene and cyclodecapentaene, it is a 10 pi electron system. It exhibits aromatic properties: (i) the peripheral bonds have similar lengths and (ii) it undergoes Friedel-Crafts-like substitutions. The stability gain from aromaticity is estimated to be half that of naphthalene.

Its dipole moment is 1.08  D , [6] in contrast with naphthalene, which has a dipole moment of zero. This polarity can be explained by regarding azulene as the fusion of a 6 π-electron cyclopentadienyl anion and a 6 π-electron tropylium cation: one electron from the seven-membered ring is transferred to the five-membered ring to give each ring aromatic stability by Hückel's rule. Reactivity studies confirm that seven-membered ring is electrophilic and the five-membered ring is nucleophilic.

Azulene resonance.png

The dipolar nature of the ground state is reflected in its deep colour, which is unusual for small unsaturated aromatic compounds. [7] Another notable feature of azulene is that it violates Kasha's rule by exhibiting fluorescence from an upper-excited state (S2 → S0). [8]

Organic synthesis

Synthetic routes to azulene have long been of interest because of its unusual structure. [9] In 1939 the first method was reported by St. Pfau and Plattner [10] starting from indane and ethyl diazoacetate.

An efficient one-pot route entails annulation of cyclopentadiene with unsaturated C5-synthons. [11] The alternative approach from cycloheptatriene has long been known, one illustrative method being shown below. [12] [13]

Azulenesynthesis.png

Procedure:

  1. cycloheptatriene 2+2 cycloaddition with dichloro ketene
  2. diazomethane insertion reaction
  3. dehydrohalogenation reaction with DMF
  4. Luche reduction to alcohol with sodium borohydride
  5. elimination reaction with Burgess reagent
  6. oxidation with p-chloranil
  7. dehalogenation with polymethylhydrosiloxane, palladium(II) acetate, potassium phosphate and the DPDB ligand

Organometallic complexes

In organometallic chemistry, azulene serves as a ligand for low-valent metal centers. Illustrative complexes are (azulene)Mo2(CO)6 and (azulene)Fe2(CO)5. [14]

Derivatives

1-Hydroxyazulene is an unstable green oil and it does not show keto–enol tautomerism. [15] 2-Hydroxyazulene is obtained by hydrolysis of 2-methoxyazulene with hydrobromic acid. It is stable and does show keto–enol tautomerism. [16] The pKa of 2-hydroxyazulene in water is 8.71. It is more acidic than phenol or naphthol. The pKa of 6-hydroxyazulenes in water is 7.38 making it also more acidic than phenol or naphthol. [16]

In naphth[a]azulene, a naphthalene ring is condensed at the 1,2-positions of azulene. In one such system [17] deviation from planarity is found, similar to that of tetrahelicene.

Guaiazulene (1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene) is an alkylated derivative of azulene with an almost identical intensely blue colour. It is commercially available to the cosmetics industry where it functions as a skin conditioning agent.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aromatic compound</span> Compound containing rings with delocalized pi electrons

Aromatic compounds usually refers to organic compounds "with a chemistry typified by benzene" and "cyclically conjugated " The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping of molecules based on odor, before their general chemical properties were understood. The current definition of aromatic compounds does not have any relation to their odor. Aromatic compounds are now defined as cyclic compounds satisfying Hückel's Rule. Aromatic compounds have the following general properties:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metallocene</span>

A metallocene is a compound typically consisting of two cyclopentadienyl anions (C
5
H
5
, abbreviated Cp) bound to a metal center (M) in the oxidation state II, with the resulting general formula (C5H5)2M. Closely related to the metallocenes are the metallocene derivatives, e.g. titanocene dichloride or vanadocene dichloride. Certain metallocenes and their derivatives exhibit catalytic properties, although metallocenes are rarely used industrially. Cationic group 4 metallocene derivatives related to [Cp2ZrCH3]+ catalyze olefin polymerization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naphthalene</span> Chemical compound

Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula C
10
H
8
. It is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings. It is the main ingredient of traditional mothballs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regioselectivity</span> Preference of chemical bonding or breaking in one direction over others

In organic chemistry, regioselectivity is the preference of chemical bonding or breaking in one direction over all other possible directions. It can often apply to which of many possible positions a reagent will affect, such as which proton a strong base will abstract from an organic molecule, or where on a substituted benzene ring a further substituent will be added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hückel's rule</span> Method of determining aromaticity in organic molecules

In organic chemistry, Hückel's rule predicts that a planar ring molecule will have aromatic properties if it has 4n + 2 π electrons, where n is a non-negative integer. The quantum mechanical basis for its formulation was first worked out by physical chemist Erich Hückel in 1931. The succinct expression as the 4n + 2 rule has been attributed to W. v. E. Doering (1951), although several authors were using this form at around the same time.

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is a chemical reaction between a 1,3-dipole and a dipolarophile to form a five-membered ring. The earliest 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions were described in the late 19th century to the early 20th century, following the discovery of 1,3-dipoles. Mechanistic investigation and synthetic application were established in the 1960s, primarily through the work of Rolf Huisgen. Hence, the reaction is sometimes referred to as the Huisgen cycloaddition. 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is an important route to the regio- and stereoselective synthesis of five-membered heterocycles and their ring-opened acyclic derivatives. The dipolarophile is typically an alkene or alkyne, but can be other pi systems. When the dipolarophile is an alkyne, aromatic rings are generally produced.

Aromatization is a chemical reaction in which an aromatic system is formed from a single nonaromatic precursor. Typically aromatization is achieved by dehydrogenation of existing cyclic compounds, illustrated by the conversion of cyclohexane into benzene. Aromatization includes the formation of heterocyclic systems.

Cycloheptatriene (CHT) is an organic compound with the formula C7H8. It is a closed ring of seven carbon atoms joined by three double bonds (as the name implies) and four single bonds. This colourless liquid has been of recurring theoretical interest in organic chemistry. It is a ligand in organometallic chemistry and a building block in organic synthesis. Cycloheptatriene is not aromatic, as reflected by the nonplanarity of the methylene bridge (-CH2-) with respect to the other atoms; however the related tropylium cation is.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbenium ion</span> Class of ions

A carbenium ion is a positive ion with the structure RR′R″C+, that is, a chemical species with carbon atom having three covalent bonds, and it bears a +1 formal charge. But IUPAC confuses coordination number with valence, incorrectly considering carbon in carbenium as trivalent.

The tropylium ion or cycloheptatrienyl cation is an aromatic species with a formula of [C7H7]+. Its name derives from the molecule tropine from which cycloheptatriene (tropylidene) was first synthesized in 1881. Salts of the tropylium cation can be stable, even with nucleophiles of moderate strength e.g., tropylium tetrafluoroborate and tropylium bromide (see below). Its bromide and chloride salts can be made from cycloheptatriene and bromine or phosphorus pentachloride, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulvalene</span> Chemical compound

Fulvalene (bicyclopentadienylidene) is the member of the fulvalene family with the molecular formula C10H8. It is of theoretical interest as one of the simplest non-benzenoid conjugated hydrocarbons. Fulvalene is an unstable isomer of the more common benzenoid aromatic compounds naphthalene and azulene. Fulvalene consists of two 5-membered rings, each with two double bonds, joined by yet a fifth double bond. It has D2h symmetry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2-Naphthol</span> Chemical compound

2-Naphthol, or β-naphthol, is a fluorescent colorless (or occasionally yellow) crystalline solid with the formula C10H7OH. It is an isomer of 1-naphthol, differing by the location of the hydroxyl group on the naphthalene ring. The naphthols are naphthalene homologues of phenol, but more reactive. Both isomers are soluble in simple alcohols, ethers, and chloroform. 2-Naphthol is a widely used intermediate for the production of dyes and other compounds.

1-Naphthol, or α-naphthol, is a fluorescent organic compound with the formula C10H7OH. It is a white solid. It is an isomer of 2-naphthol differing by the location of the hydroxyl group on the naphthalene ring. The naphthols are naphthalene homologues of phenol, with the hydroxyl group being more reactive than in the phenols. Both isomers are soluble in simple alcohols, ethers, and chloroform. They are precursors to a variety of useful compounds. Naphthols are used as biomarkers for livestock and humans exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Organoiron chemistry is the chemistry of iron compounds containing a carbon-to-iron chemical bond. Organoiron compounds are relevant in organic synthesis as reagents such as iron pentacarbonyl, diiron nonacarbonyl and disodium tetracarbonylferrate. While iron adopts oxidation states from Fe(−II) through to Fe(VII), Fe(IV) is the highest established oxidation state for organoiron species. Although iron is generally less active in many catalytic applications, it is less expensive and "greener" than other metals. Organoiron compounds feature a wide range of ligands that support the Fe-C bond; as with other organometals, these supporting ligands prominently include phosphines, carbon monoxide, and cyclopentadienyl, but hard ligands such as amines are employed as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birch reduction</span> Organic reaction used to convert arenes to cyclohexadienes

The Birch reduction is an organic reaction that is used to convert arenes to 1,4-cyclohexadienes. The reaction is named after the Australian chemist Arthur Birch and involves the organic reduction of aromatic rings in an amine solvent with an alkali metal and a proton source. Unlike catalytic hydrogenation, Birch reduction does not reduce the aromatic ring all the way to a cyclohexane.

The Buchner ring expansion is a two-step organic C-C bond forming reaction used to access 7-membered rings. The first step involves formation of a carbene from ethyl diazoacetate, which cyclopropanates an aromatic ring. The ring expansion occurs in the second step, with an electrocyclic reaction opening the cyclopropane ring to form the 7-membered ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half sandwich compound</span> Class of coordination compounds

Half sandwich compounds, also known as piano stool complexes, are organometallic complexes that feature a cyclic polyhapto ligand bound to an MLn center, where L is a unidentate ligand. Thousands of such complexes are known. Well-known examples include cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl and (C5H5)TiCl3. Commercially useful examples include (C5H5)Co(CO)2, which is used in the synthesis of substituted pyridines, and methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl, an antiknock agent in petrol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1-Tetralone</span> Chemical compound

1-Tetralone is a bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and a ketone. In terms of its structure, it can also be regarded as benzo-fused cyclohexanone. It is a colorless oil with a faint odor. It is used as starting material for agricultural and pharmaceutical agents. The carbon skeleton of 1-tetralone is found in natural products such as Aristelegone A (4,7-dimethyl-6-methoxy-1-tetralone) from the family of Aristolochiaceae used in traditional Chinese medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermal rearrangement of aromatic hydrocarbons</span>

Thermal rearrangements of aromatic hydrocarbons are considered to be unimolecular reactions that directly involve the atoms of an aromatic ring structure and require no other reagent than heat. These reactions can be categorized in two major types: one that involves a complete and permanent skeletal reorganization (isomerization), and one in which the atoms are scrambled but no net change in the aromatic ring occurs (automerization). The general reaction schemes of the two types are illustrated in Figure 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borepin</span> Aromatic, boron-containing rings

Borepins are a class of boron-containing heterocycles used in main group chemistry. They consist of a seven-membered unsaturated ring with a tricoordinate boron in it. Simple borepins are analogues of cycloheptatriene, which is a seven-membered ring containing three carbon-carbon double bonds, each of which contributes 2π electrons for a total of 6π electrons. Unlike other seven-membered systems such as silepins and phosphepins, boron has a vacant p-orbital that can interact with the π and π* orbitals of the cycloheptatriene. This leads to an isoelectronic state akin to that of the tropylium cation, aromatizing the borepin while also allowing it to act as a Lewis acid. The aromaticity of borepin is relatively weak compared to traditional aromatics such as benzene or even cycloheptatriene, which has led to the synthesis of many fused, π-conjugated borepin systems over the years. Simple and complex borepins have been extensively studied more recently due to their high fluorescence and potential applications in technologies like organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and photovoltaic cells.

References

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