Article
Article
Pericyclic reaction
Article By:
Marchand, Alan P. College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.
Last reviewed:August 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.498150
Concerted (single-step) processes in which bond making and bond breaking occur simultaneously (but not necessarily synchronously) via a cyclic (closed-curve) transition state. Although a given reaction may appear formally to be pericyclic, it cannot be assumed to be a concerted process. In each case, the detailed mechanism of the reaction must be established experimentally. Pericyclic reactions can be promoted either by heat or by light; the stereochemistry of the reaction is determined by the mode of activation employed and the number of electrons that are delocalized in the transition state. See also: Chemical bonding; Stereochemistry
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