Angular Group Induced Bond Alternation is a new face of a substituent
effect well documented by careful analysis of molecular geometry.
The angular groups attached to monocyclic 6-π-electron
systems cause substantial changes to π-electron distribution
in the ring. Different patterns are found for X-Y and X=Y
types of groups. The overall effect is due to the rehybridization
effect, the through space π-electron interactions between
a group and the ring, possibly also by other subtle effects, eg.
the negative hyperconjugation. The effect is strongly conformational
dependent. While the AGIBA is energetically weak, it is structurally
strong enough that other interactions in monocyclic systems, eg.
through - resonance type interactions do not reduce it.
In polycyclic benzenoid hydrocarbons AGIBA works only locally while
in non-cyclic π-electron systems the effect does not work
at all.
AGIBA - substituent effects - benzene derivatives - π-electron systems