Advanced Organic Chemistry

11

Pericyclic Reactions

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this chapter you should be familiar with

• Types and principles of pericyclic reactions.
• What determines whether these pericyclic reactions go forwards or backwards.
• Conservation of orbital symmetry and what conrotatory and disrotatory mean.
• Electrocyclic reactions and rules governing them.
• Cycloaddition reactions and rules governing them.
• Sigmatropic reactions and rules governing them.

11.1 INTRODUCTION

Organic reactions can be classified into three major classes: polar reactions (reaction between nucleophile and electrophile), radical reactions (reaction using one electron from each of the reactants) and pericyclic reactions. A pericyclic reaction, that is, cyclic reorganization of electrons, ...