9 Hückel's Rule

In 1931, Erich Hückel postulated that monocyclic (single ring) planar compounds that contained carbon atoms with unhybridized atomic p orbitals would possess a closed bond shell of delocalized π electrons if the number of π electrons in the molecule fit a value of 4 n + 2 where n equaled any whole number. Because a closed bond shell of π electrons defines an aromatic system, you can use Hückel's Rule to predict the aromaticity of a compound. For example, the benzene molecule, which has 3 π bonds or 6 π electrons, is aromatic.