Conjugated compounds

Conjugated compounds 

Aromatic compounds

•Benzene causes a depressed white blood cell count on prolonged exposure and should not be used as a laboratory solvent

•Fractional distillation of coal tar yields benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene, and a host of other aromatic compounds such as Figure 1

•Unlike coal, petroleum contains few aromatic compounds and consists largely of alkanes. During petroleum refining, however, aromatic molecules are formed when alkanes are passed over a catalyst at about 500℃ under high pressure.

•benzene’s stability can be explained by measuring heats of hydrogenation(see Figure 2 for more information)

•benzene is sometimes represented like figure 3. however, it doesn’t indicate the number of π electrons in the ring.

1,3-Butadiene(see Figure 4)

•this is the example of compounds that have different unsaturations close together which interact with one another.

•1,4-Pentadiene is nonconjugated(see Figure 4)

enones

•an enone is a type of organic compound consisting of an alkene conjugated to a ketone.

•progesterone, the hormone that prepares the uterus for implantation of a fertilized ovum is also a conjugated enone

•the simplest enone is methyl vinyl ketone(see figure 5)

conjugated polyene

•lycopene, the red pigment found in tomatoes and thought to protect against prostate cancer, is a conjugated polyene