Naphthalene () is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, famously used in mothballs. What is — GOC and Organic Chemistry Basics Chemistry Question
Question
Naphthalene ($C_{10}H_8$) is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, famously used in mothballs. What is the total number of delocalized $\pi$ -electrons strictly responsible for its aromatic stability?
Answer: 10
💡 Solution & Explanation
Naphthalene consists of two fused benzene rings. It contains five formal carbon-carbon double bonds in its most stable resonance structures. Since each double bond contributes two $\pi$ -electrons, the entire conjugated system contains exactly $5 \times 2 = 10$ $\pi$ -electrons.
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