Full Citation: R. Hoffmann, "A Claim on the Development of the Frontier Orbital Explanation of Electrocyclic Reactions", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 43, 6586–6590 (2004). DOI: 10.1002/anie.200461440.

Discussed on February 20, 2019.

Description

Hoffman discusses a contentious matter--the development of a frontier orbital explanation of electrocyclic reactions. Hoffman inferred that the orbital symmetry of the HOMO was somehow important to describe these types of reactions. He then consulted E.J.Corey and R. B. Woodward at various stages in the development of this model. Arguments about how their professional relationships affected the attribution of credit are discussed.

Keywords

Woodward; Hoffman; Corey; electrocyclic reactions; frontier orbitals; orbital symmetry; pericyclic reactions; history of science; theoretical chemistry