| Abstract: | 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of a series of nonafulvenes 1 have been investigated. Most nonafulvenes are olefinic molecules with alternating bond lengths, their nine-membered ring deviating strongly from planarity. The 10-monosubstituted nonafulvenes contain 2 sterically different ring segments with a nearly planar (E)-diene system consisting of C(7), C(8), C(9), C(10), and R. Substituents R are influencing C(9) > C(7) > C(5). In symmetrically substituted nonafulvenes a fast process equilibrating olefinic conformers is operating so that pairs of ring protons and ring C-atoms are equivalent and only average substituent effects are observed for C(9) > C(7,2). 1H- and 13C-NMR chemical shifts are not significantly influenced by changes of solvent or temperature. On the other hand, new 13C- and 1H-NMR experiments completing previous investigations by Hafner and Tappe confirm that NMR spectra of 10,10-bis (dialkylamino)nonafulvenes are strongly dependent on solvent polarity and temperature. At ambient temperature and in unpolar solvents, nonplanar conformers are predominant, their spectral data fitting into the series of other nonafulvenes. At low temperature and/or in polar solvents, dipolar conformers are favoured which are characterised by charge separation and a planarised (but not necessarily completely planar) nine-membered ring with negative excess charge. The spectroscopic behaviour of nonafulvenes is reasonably explained by a qualitative scheme (Fig. 7) which is based on a model proposed by Boche for nonafulvenolates. |
