Crystal structures and molecular modeling of 1,8 chalcogenide‐substituted naphthalenes

The molecular structures of naphtho[1,8‐cd][1,2]dithiole, naphtho[1,8‐cd][1,2]diselenole, naphtho[1,8‐cd][1,2]ditellurole, naphtho[1,8‐cd]‐ [1,2]dithiole 1‐oxide, naphtho[1,8‐cd][1,2]dithiole 1,1‐dioxide, and naphtho[1,8‐cd][1,2]dithiole 1,1,2‐trioxideand naphtho[1,8‐cd][1,2]dithiole 1,1,2,2‐tetroxide are compared. The E–E distance varies, broadly reflecting the degree of distortion imposed by the rigid naphthalene backbone as well as the degree of oxidation at sulfur. Index Entry: The naphthalene backbone imposes shortening of E–E bond lengths when E = S and Se compared to Ph E E Ph systems but is itself subject to distortion as a consequence of the steric bulk of the E atoms. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 15:530–542, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20055