In order to evaluate the substituent effect on the reactivity and regioselectivity of aromatic rings with respect to electrophilic substitution reactions, we considered several benzene derivatives containing activating (ÀNH 2 , ÀNHCH 3 , ÀN(CH 3 ) 2 , ÀOH, ÀOCH 3 , and ÀCHCH 2 ) and deactivating (ÀF, ÀCl, ÀBr, ÀCOH, ÀCOCH 3 , ÀCOOCH 3 , ÀCOOH, ÀCOCl, ÀCN, and ÀNO 2 ) groups. In this sense, we propose alternative theoretical descriptors of reactivity and regioselectivity, which are based only on electron density properties of initial substrates. The descriptors investigated here were obtained from the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (electron density curvatures at the ring critical point [RCP] and at the critical points of carbon nuclei along with kinetic and potential energy densities at the RCP) and from the interacting quantum atom formalism (intra-atomic energy values of carbon atoms). The topological parameters at the RCPs and at carbon nuclei within the aromatic moiety were particularly successful in this task, being able to provide quantitative predictions of reactivity as compared with traditional resonance parameters used to that same end.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.