Combinatorial Clar sextet theory

Clar structures recently used as basis-set to compute resonance energies [9] are identified as maximal independent sets of benzenoid hydrocarbons colored in a special way. Binomial properties of such objects are induced for several catafusenes and perifusenes (Eqs. 2–31). Novel polynomials, called Clar polynomials, are given for perifusens in terms of units of catafusenes which allow display and enumeration of the populations of their Clar structures. The work is particularly pertinent to that of [8] and [9].This paper is dedicated to Professor Eric Clar; the Doyen of aromatic chemistry.