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Organic Chemistry 4e Carey | |||||
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Organic Chemistry 4e Carey | |||||
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Polycyclic Systems |
Chapter 3: Conformations of Alkanes and Cycloalkanes |
In order to view some of the structures for this section, you will need the web "plug-in", "CHIME". If you do not have it already installed, you should be able to download it for free from the linked Website. CHIME is a browser that allows you to visualize and manipulate molecules as 3D structures. Check here if you don't know how to use Chime.
Both
nature and mankind has created many examples of compounds that contain more
than one ring system. These can be classified depending on how many rings are
present and how the rings are joined together.
| If there is a single carbon atom common to two rings, then the system is said to be "spirocyclic" and the carbon can be described as the "spirocenter". The simplest example is spiropentane. |
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| If two or more atoms
are shared between more than one ring then the system is said to be "polycyclic"
in general terms or as bicyclic, tricyclic, tetracyclic etc. depending
on how many rings systems are present. The simplest polycyclic system
is bicyclobutane. When there are two common atoms in the rings, then it is a "fused" system, as in bicyclobutane. |
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| If there are more than two common atoms then the a "bridged" system is obtained, the simplest example being bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane. |
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Some interesting examples
are provided below. See if you can recognize which class they would belong to.
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