Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: xtheunknown0 on January 13, 2011, 07:11:53 PM
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My textbook says that "sometimes, as in the special case of benzene, three of the four outer-shell electrons from each carbon atom form normal covalent bonds but the fourth electron is shared (delocalised) around the six-membered carbon ring." It only has benzene represented by C's, H's and lines, with a circle and with three lines inside two hexagons with a double-headed arrow in between.
Can someone please show me how three of the four outer-shell electrons form normal covalent bonds?
TIA,
xtheunknown0
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One normal covalent bond with each neighbour atom, I'd say.
The last electron being more widely shared.
By the way, aromaticity isn't limited to six carbons, nor even to carbon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromaticity