Erich Armand Arthur Joseph Hückel ForMemRS (August 9, 1896, Berlin – February 16, 1980, Marburg ) was a German physicist and physical chemist . He is known for two major contributions:
61-451: Hückel or Huckel may refer to: Erich Hückel (1896-1980), German physicist and chemist Debye–Hückel equation (named after Peter Debye and Erich Hückel), in chemistry, a method of calculating activity coefficients Hückel method (named after Erich Hückel), a method for the determination of energies of molecular orbitals Extended Hückel method , considers also sigma orbitals (whereas
122-510: A =4), thiols (13), malonates (13), alcohols (17), aldehydes (20), nitriles (25), esters (25), then amines (35). Amines are very basic, and are great nucleophiles/attackers. The aliphatic hydrocarbons are subdivided into three groups of homologous series according to their state of saturation : The rest of the group is classified according to the functional groups present. Such compounds can be "straight-chain", branched-chain or cyclic. The degree of branching affects characteristics, such as
183-708: A molar mass less than approximately 1000 g/mol. Fullerenes and carbon nanotubes , carbon compounds with spheroidal and tubular structures, have stimulated much research into the related field of materials science . The first fullerene was discovered in 1985 by Sir Harold W. Kroto of the United Kingdom and by Richard E. Smalley and Robert F. Curl Jr., of the United States. Using a laser to vaporize graphite rods in an atmosphere of helium gas, these chemists and their assistants obtained cagelike molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms (C60) joined by single and double bonds to form
244-546: A branch of organic chemistry. Although the history of biochemistry might be taken to span some four centuries, fundamental understanding of the field only began to develop in the late 19th century and the actual term biochemistry was coined around the start of 20th century. Research in the field increased throughout the twentieth century, without any indication of slackening in the rate of increase, as may be verified by inspection of abstraction and indexing services such as BIOSIS Previews and Biological Abstracts , which began in
305-423: A broad range of industrial and commercial products including, among (many) others: plastics , synthetic rubber , organic adhesives , and various property-modifying petroleum additives and catalysts . The majority of chemical compounds occurring in biological organisms are carbon compounds, so the association between organic chemistry and biochemistry is so close that biochemistry might be regarded as in essence
366-506: A carbon lattice, and that the detailed patterns of atomic bonding could be discerned by skillful interpretations of appropriate chemical reactions. The era of the pharmaceutical industry began in the last decade of the 19th century when the German company, Bayer , first manufactured acetylsalicylic acid—more commonly known as aspirin . By 1910 Paul Ehrlich and his laboratory group began developing arsenic-based arsphenamine , (Salvarsan), as
427-415: A class of hydrocarbons called biopolymer polyisoprenoids present in the latex of various species of plants, which is the basis for making rubber . Biologists usually classify the above-mentioned biomolecules into four main groups, i.e., proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. Petroleum and its derivatives are considered organic molecules, which is consistent with the fact that this oil comes from
488-462: A combination of luck and preparation for unexpected observations. The latter half of the 19th century however witnessed systematic studies of organic compounds. The development of synthetic indigo is illustrative. The production of indigo from plant sources dropped from 19,000 tons in 1897 to 1,000 tons by 1914 thanks to the synthetic methods developed by Adolf von Baeyer . In 2002, 17,000 tons of synthetic indigo were produced from petrochemicals . In
549-419: A common reaction is a substitution reaction written as: where X is some functional group and Nu is a nucleophile . The number of possible organic reactions is infinite. However, certain general patterns are observed that can be used to describe many common or useful reactions. Each reaction has a stepwise reaction mechanism that explains how it happens in sequence—although the detailed description of steps
610-488: A cornerstone of organic chemistry, Hückel's concepts were undeservedly unrecognized for two decades. Pauling and Wheland characterized his approach as "cumbersome" at the time, and their competing resonance theory was relatively easier to understand for chemists without fundamental physics background, even if they couldn't grasp the concept of quantum superposition and confused it with tautomerism . His lack of communication skills contributed: when Robert Robinson sent him
671-487: A friendly request, he responded arrogantly that he is not interested in organic chemistry. The famous Hückel 4n+2 rule for determining whether ring molecules composed of C=C bonds would show aromatic properties was first stated clearly by Doering in a 1951 article on tropolone . Tropolone had been recognised as an aromatic molecule by Dewar in 1945. In 1936, Hückel developed the theory of π-conjugated biradicals (non-Kekulé molecules). The first example, known as
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#1732852629003732-565: A hollow sphere with 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces—a design that resembles a football, or soccer ball. In 1996 the trio was awarded the Nobel Prize for their pioneering efforts. The C60 molecule was named buckminsterfullerene (or, more simply, the buckyball) after the American architect R. Buckminster Fuller, whose geodesic dome is constructed on the same structural principles. Organic compounds containing bonds of carbon to nitrogen, oxygen and
793-427: A lower p K a on another molecule (intermolecular) or within the same molecule (intramolecular). Any group with a net acidic p K a that gets within range, such as an acyl or carbonyl group is fair game. Since the likelihood of being attacked decreases with an increase in p K a , acyl chloride components with the lowest measured p K a values are most likely to be attacked, followed by carboxylic acids (p K
854-484: A melting point, boiling point, solubility, and index of refraction. Qualitative properties include odor, consistency, and color. Organic compounds typically melt and many boil. In contrast, while inorganic materials generally can be melted, many do not boil, and instead tend to degrade. In earlier times, the melting point (m.p.) and boiling point (b.p.) provided crucial information on the purity and identity of organic compounds. The melting and boiling points correlate with
915-475: A novel compound is a problem-solving task, where a synthesis is designed for a target molecule by selecting optimal reactions from optimal starting materials. Complex compounds can have tens of reaction steps that sequentially build the desired molecule. The synthesis proceeds by utilizing the reactivity of the functional groups in the molecule. For example, a carbonyl compound can be used as a nucleophile by converting it into an enolate , or as an electrophile ;
976-552: A respectfully natural environment, or without human intervention. Biomolecular chemistry is a major category within organic chemistry which is frequently studied by biochemists . Many complex multi-functional group molecules are important in living organisms. Some are long-chain biopolymers , and these include peptides , DNA , RNA and the polysaccharides such as starches in animals and celluloses in plants. The other main classes are amino acids (monomer building blocks of peptides and proteins), carbohydrates (which includes
1037-686: A variety of chemical tests, called "wet methods", but such tests have been largely displaced by spectroscopic or other computer-intensive methods of analysis. Listed in approximate order of utility, the chief analytical methods are: Traditional spectroscopic methods such as infrared spectroscopy , optical rotation , and UV/VIS spectroscopy provide relatively nonspecific structural information but remain in use for specific applications. Refractive index and density can also be important for substance identification. The physical properties of organic compounds typically of interest include both quantitative and qualitative features. Quantitative information includes
1098-514: A wide range of biochemical compounds such as alkaloids , vitamins, steroids, and nucleic acids (e.g. DNA, RNA). Rings can fuse with other rings on an edge to give polycyclic compounds . The purine nucleoside bases are notable polycyclic aromatic heterocycles. Rings can also fuse on a "corner" such that one atom (almost always carbon) has two bonds going to one ring and two to another. Such compounds are termed spiro and are important in several natural products . One important property of carbon
1159-469: Is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials , i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms . Study of structure determines their structural formula . Study of properties includes physical and chemical properties , and evaluation of chemical reactivity to understand their behavior. The study of organic reactions includes
1220-420: Is conferred by the presence of 4n + 2 delocalized pi electrons, where n is an integer. Particular instability ( antiaromaticity ) is conferred by the presence of 4n conjugated pi electrons. The characteristics of the cyclic hydrocarbons are again altered if heteroatoms are present, which can exist as either substituents attached externally to the ring (exocyclic) or as a member of the ring itself (endocyclic). In
1281-480: Is not always clear from a list of reactants alone. The stepwise course of any given reaction mechanism can be represented using arrow pushing techniques in which curved arrows are used to track the movement of electrons as starting materials transition through intermediates to final products. Synthetic organic chemistry is an applied science as it borders engineering , the "design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes". Organic synthesis of
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#17328526290031342-444: Is simple and unambiguous. In this system, the endpoints and intersections of each line represent one carbon, and hydrogen atoms can either be notated explicitly or assumed to be present as implied by tetravalent carbon. By 1880 an explosion in the number of chemical compounds being discovered occurred assisted by new synthetic and analytical techniques. Grignard described the situation as "chaos le plus complet" (complete chaos) due to
1403-451: Is systematically named (6a R ,9 R )- N , N -diethyl-7-methyl-4,6,6a,7,8,9-hexahydroindolo-[4,3- fg ] quinoline-9-carboxamide. With the increased use of computing, other naming methods have evolved that are intended to be interpreted by machines. Two popular formats are SMILES and InChI . Organic molecules are described more commonly by drawings or structural formulas , combinations of drawings and chemical symbols. The line-angle formula
1464-456: Is that it readily forms chains, or networks, that are linked by carbon-carbon (carbon-to-carbon) bonds. The linking process is called polymerization , while the chains, or networks, are called polymers . The source compound is called a monomer . Two main groups of polymers exist synthetic polymers and biopolymers . Synthetic polymers are artificially manufactured, and are commonly referred to as industrial polymers . Biopolymers occur within
1525-413: Is typically taught at the college or university level. It is considered a very challenging course, but has also been made accessible to students. Before the 18th century, chemists generally believed that compounds obtained from living organisms were endowed with a vital force that distinguished them from inorganic compounds . According to the concept of vitalism (vital force theory), organic matter
1586-698: The Schlenk–Brauns hydrocarbon , had been discovered in the same year. The credit for explaining such biradicals is usually given to Christopher Longuet-Higgins in 1950. In 1937, Hückel refined his MO theory of pi electrons in unsaturated organic molecules. This is still used occasionally as an approximation, though the more precise PPP Pariser–Parr–Pople method succeeded it in 1953. "Extended Hückel MO theory" ( EHT ) applies to both sigma and pi electrons, and has its origins in work by William Lipscomb and Roald Hoffmann for nonplanar molecules in 1962. According to Felix Bloch , Erich Hückel "incited and helped"
1647-476: The chemical synthesis of natural products , drugs , and polymers , and study of individual organic molecules in the laboratory and via theoretical ( in silico ) study. The range of chemicals studied in organic chemistry includes hydrocarbons (compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen ) as well as compounds based on carbon, but also containing other elements, especially oxygen , nitrogen , sulfur , phosphorus (included in many biochemicals ) and
1708-435: The cycloalkenes and the cycloalkynes do. Aromatic hydrocarbons contain conjugated double bonds. This means that every carbon atom in the ring is sp2 hybridized, allowing for added stability. The most important example is benzene , the structure of which was formulated by Kekulé who first proposed the delocalization or resonance principle for explaining its structure. For "conventional" cyclic compounds, aromaticity
1769-420: The electron affinity of key atoms, bond strengths and steric hindrance . These factors can determine the relative stability of short-lived reactive intermediates , which usually directly determine the path of the reaction. The basic reaction types are: addition reactions , elimination reactions , substitution reactions , pericyclic reactions , rearrangement reactions and redox reactions . An example of
1830-407: The halogens . Organometallic chemistry is the study of compounds containing carbon– metal bonds. In addition, contemporary research focuses on organic chemistry involving other organometallics including the lanthanides , but especially the transition metals zinc, copper, palladium , nickel, cobalt, titanium and chromium. Organic compounds form the basis of all earthly life and constitute
1891-541: The octane number or cetane number in petroleum chemistry. Both saturated ( alicyclic ) compounds and unsaturated compounds exist as cyclic derivatives. The most stable rings contain five or six carbon atoms, but large rings (macrocycles) and smaller rings are common. The smallest cycloalkane family is the three-membered cyclopropane ((CH 2 ) 3 ). Saturated cyclic compounds contain single bonds only, whereas aromatic rings have an alternating (or conjugated) double bond. Cycloalkanes do not contain multiple bonds, whereas
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1952-618: The 1920s as a single annual volume, but has grown so drastically that by the end of the 20th century it was only available to the everyday user as an online electronic database . Since organic compounds often exist as mixtures , a variety of techniques have also been developed to assess purity; chromatography techniques are especially important for this application, and include HPLC and gas chromatography . Traditional methods of separation include distillation , crystallization , evaporation , magnetic separation and solvent extraction . Organic compounds were traditionally characterized by
2013-627: The behavior of strong electrolytes by considering interionic forces, in order to account for their electrical conductivity and their thermodynamic activity coefficients . After spending 1928 and 1929 in England and Denmark, working briefly with Niels Bohr , Hückel joined the faculty of the Technische Hochschule in Stuttgart . In 1935, he moved to Phillips University in Marburg , where he finally
2074-495: The case of the latter, the ring is termed a heterocycle . Pyridine and furan are examples of aromatic heterocycles while piperidine and tetrahydrofuran are the corresponding alicyclic heterocycles. The heteroatom of heterocyclic molecules is generally oxygen, sulfur, or nitrogen, with the latter being particularly common in biochemical systems. Heterocycles are commonly found in a wide range of products including aniline dyes and medicines. Additionally, they are prevalent in
2135-473: The combination of the two is called the aldol reaction . Designing practically useful syntheses always requires conducting the actual synthesis in the laboratory. The scientific practice of creating novel synthetic routes for complex molecules is called total synthesis . Strategies to design a synthesis include retrosynthesis , popularized by E.J. Corey , which starts with the target molecule and splices it to pieces according to known reactions. The pieces, or
2196-480: The early part of the 20th century, polymers and enzymes were shown to be large organic molecules, and petroleum was shown to be of biological origin. The multiple-step synthesis of complex organic compounds is called total synthesis. Total synthesis of complex natural compounds increased in complexity to glucose and terpineol . For example, cholesterol -related compounds have opened ways to synthesize complex human hormones and their modified derivatives. Since
2257-429: The first effective medicinal treatment of syphilis , and thereby initiated the medical practice of chemotherapy . Ehrlich popularized the concepts of "magic bullet" drugs and of systematically improving drug therapies. His laboratory made decisive contributions to developing antiserum for diphtheria and standardizing therapeutic serums. Early examples of organic reactions and applications were often found because of
2318-422: The fossilization of living beings, i.e., biomolecules. See also: peptide synthesis , oligonucleotide synthesis and carbohydrate synthesis . In pharmacology, an important group of organic compounds is small molecules , also referred to as 'small organic compounds'. In this context, a small molecule is a small organic compound that is biologically active but is not a polymer . In practice, small molecules have
2379-437: The functional group have an intermolecular and intramolecular effect on the surrounding environment and pH level. Different functional groups have different p K a values and bond strengths (single, double, triple) leading to increased electrophilicity with lower p K a and increased nucleophile strength with higher p K a . More basic/nucleophilic functional groups desire to attack an electrophilic functional group with
2440-494: The halogens are not normally grouped separately. Others are sometimes put into major groups within organic chemistry and discussed under titles such as organosulfur chemistry , organometallic chemistry , organophosphorus chemistry and organosilicon chemistry . Organic reactions are chemical reactions involving organic compounds . Many of these reactions are associated with functional groups. The general theory of these reactions involves careful analysis of such properties as
2501-447: The lack of convention it was possible to have multiple names for the same compound. This led to the creation of the Geneva rules in 1892. The concept of functional groups is central in organic chemistry, both as a means to classify structures and for predicting properties. A functional group is a molecular module, and the reactivity of that functional group is assumed, within limits, to be
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2562-710: The majority of known chemicals. The bonding patterns of carbon, with its valence of four—formal single, double, and triple bonds, plus structures with delocalized electrons —make the array of organic compounds structurally diverse, and their range of applications enormous. They form the basis of, or are constituents of, many commercial products including pharmaceuticals ; petrochemicals and agrichemicals , and products made from them including lubricants , solvents ; plastics ; fuels and explosives . The study of organic chemistry overlaps organometallic chemistry and biochemistry , but also with medicinal chemistry , polymer chemistry , and materials science . Organic chemistry
2623-562: The molecule more acidic or basic due to their electronic influence on surrounding parts of the molecule. As the p K a (aka basicity ) of the molecular addition/functional group increases, there is a corresponding dipole , when measured, increases in strength. A dipole directed towards the functional group (higher p K a therefore basic nature of group) points towards it and decreases in strength with increasing distance. Dipole distance (measured in Angstroms ) and steric hindrance towards
2684-412: The molecule of interest. This parent name is then modified by prefixes, suffixes, and numbers to unambiguously convey the structure. Given that millions of organic compounds are known, rigorous use of systematic names can be cumbersome. Thus, IUPAC recommendations are more closely followed for simple compounds, but not complex molecules. To use the systematic naming, one must know the structures and names of
2745-437: The organic dye now known as Perkin's mauve . His discovery, made widely known through its financial success, greatly increased interest in organic chemistry. A crucial breakthrough for organic chemistry was the concept of chemical structure, developed independently in 1858 by both Friedrich August Kekulé and Archibald Scott Couper . Both researchers suggested that tetravalent carbon atoms could link to each other to form
2806-464: The organic solute and with the organic solvent. Various specialized properties of molecular crystals and organic polymers with conjugated systems are of interest depending on applications, e.g. thermo-mechanical and electro-mechanical such as piezoelectricity , electrical conductivity (see conductive polymers and organic semiconductors ), and electro-optical (e.g. non-linear optics ) properties. For historical reasons, such properties are mainly
2867-548: The original Hückel method only considers pi orbitals) Hückel's rule (named after Erich Hückel), a method of determining aromaticity in organic molecules Walter Hückel [ de ] (1895-1973), German chemist Wolfgang Hückel [ de ] (born 1936), German diplomat, Ambassador of the GDR in Chad Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
2928-422: The parent structures. Parent structures include unsubstituted hydrocarbons, heterocycles, and mono functionalized derivatives thereof. Nonsystematic nomenclature is simpler and unambiguous, at least to organic chemists. Nonsystematic names do not indicate the structure of the compound. They are common for complex molecules, which include most natural products. Thus, the informally named lysergic acid diethylamide
2989-769: The polarity of the molecules and their molecular weight. Some organic compounds, especially symmetrical ones, sublime . A well-known example of a sublimable organic compound is para-dichlorobenzene , the odiferous constituent of modern mothballs. Organic compounds are usually not very stable at temperatures above 300 °C, although some exceptions exist. Neutral organic compounds tend to be hydrophobic ; that is, they are less soluble in water than inorganic solvents. Exceptions include organic compounds that contain ionizable groups as well as low molecular weight alcohols , amines , and carboxylic acids where hydrogen bonding occurs. Otherwise, organic compounds tend to dissolve in organic solvents . Solubility varies widely with
3050-520: The polysaccharides), the nucleic acids (which include DNA and RNA as polymers), and the lipids . Besides, animal biochemistry contains many small molecule intermediates which assist in energy production through the Krebs cycle , and produces isoprene , the most common hydrocarbon in animals. Isoprenes in animals form the important steroid structural ( cholesterol ) and steroid hormone compounds; and in plants form terpenes , terpenoids , some alkaloids , and
3111-550: The restricted rotation of alkenes (compounds containing a C=C double bond ). This model extended a 1929 interpretation of the bonding in triplet oxygen by Lennard-Jones . According to Hückel, only the ethene σ bond is axially symmetric about the C-C axis, but the π bond is not; this restricts rotation. In 1931 he generalized his analysis by formulating both valence bond (VB) and molecular orbital (MO) descriptions of benzene and other cycloconjugated hydrocarbons. Although undeniably
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#17328526290033172-589: The same in a variety of molecules. Functional groups can have a decisive influence on the chemical and physical properties of organic compounds. Molecules are classified based on their functional groups. Alcohols, for example, all have the subunit C-O-H. All alcohols tend to be somewhat hydrophilic , usually form esters , and usually can be converted to the corresponding halides . Most functional groups feature heteroatoms (atoms other than C and H). Organic compounds are classified according to functional groups, alcohols, carboxylic acids, amines, etc. Functional groups make
3233-430: The start of the 20th century, complexity of total syntheses has been increased to include molecules of high complexity such as lysergic acid and vitamin B 12 . The discovery of petroleum and the development of the petrochemical industry spurred the development of organic chemistry. Converting individual petroleum compounds into types of compounds by various chemical processes led to organic reactions enabling
3294-598: The students at the University of Zurich to write poems about their great professors. The poem about Erwin Schrödinger went like this: Gar Manches rechnet Erwin schon Mit seiner Wellenfunktion. Nur wissen möcht' man gerne wohl Was man sich dabei vorstell'n soll. It was freely translated by Felix Bloch : Erwin with his psi can do Calculations quite a few. But one thing has not been seen: Just what does psi really mean? Organic chemistry Organic chemistry
3355-415: The subjects of the areas of polymer science and materials science . The names of organic compounds are either systematic, following logically from a set of rules, or nonsystematic, following various traditions. Systematic nomenclature is stipulated by specifications from IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry). Systematic nomenclature starts with the name for a parent structure within
3416-454: The title Hückel . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hückel&oldid=880477562 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Erich H%C3%BCckel Hückel
3477-561: Was born in the Charlottenburg suburb of Berlin. He studied physics and mathematics from 1914 to 1921 at the University of Göttingen . On receiving his doctorate , he became an assistant at Göttingen, but soon became an assistant to Peter Debye at Zürich . It was there that he and Debye developed their theory (the Debye–Hückel theory , in 1923) of electrolytic solutions, elucidating
3538-509: Was cautious about claiming he had disproved vitalism, this was the first time a substance thought to be organic was synthesized in the laboratory without biological (organic) starting materials. The event is now generally accepted as indeed disproving the doctrine of vitalism. After Wöhler, Justus von Liebig worked on the organization of organic chemistry, being considered one of its principal founders. In 1856, William Henry Perkin , while trying to manufacture quinine , accidentally produced
3599-403: Was endowed with a "vital force". During the first half of the nineteenth century, some of the first systematic studies of organic compounds were reported. Around 1816 Michel Chevreul started a study of soaps made from various fats and alkalis . He separated the acids that, in combination with the alkali, produced the soap. Since these were all individual compounds, he demonstrated that it
3660-537: Was named Full Professor a year before his retirement 1961. He was a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science . Hückel is most famous for developing the Hückel method of approximate molecular orbital (MO) calculations on π electron systems, a simplified quantum-mechanical method to deal with planar unsaturated organic molecules . In 1930 he proposed a σ/π separation theory to explain
3721-467: Was possible to make a chemical change in various fats (which traditionally come from organic sources), producing new compounds, without "vital force". In 1828 Friedrich Wöhler produced the organic chemical urea (carbamide), a constituent of urine , from inorganic starting materials (the salts potassium cyanate and ammonium sulfate ), in what is now called the Wöhler synthesis . Although Wöhler himself
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