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Chapter 7 is all about delocalized electrons. Delocalized electrons are electrons that are shared by more than two atoms. The chapter starts by looking at the structure of benzene, a compound whose structure puzzled early chemists because they were not aware that electrons could be shared by more than two atoms (delocalized). Then you are shown how to recognize when a compound has delocalized electrons, and you are taught how to draw the structures of compounds with delocalized electrons. Having delocalized electrons causes a compound to be more stable than if all its electrons were localized. You need to know only a few rules to be able to determine to what extent electron delocalization affects the stability of a compound. Delocalized electrons play a very important role in organic chemistry. A few examples are given that show how delocalized electrons can affect the reactions a compound undergoes, and how they can affect the pKa of a compound. The chapter concludes with some molecular orbital theory that builds on the MO theory that you were introduced to in Chapter 1. Here you will see that molecular orbital theory can explain why molecules are stabilized by electron delocalization.
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