AUTHOR=Solà Miquel TITLE=Forty years of Clar's aromatic π-sextet rule JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry VOLUME=1 YEAR=2013 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2013.00022 DOI=10.3389/fchem.2013.00022 ISSN=2296-2646 ABSTRACT=

In 1972 Erich Clar formulated his aromatic π-sextet rule that allows discussing qualitatively the aromatic character of benzenoid species. Now, 40 years later, Clar's aromatic π-sextet rule is still a source of inspiration for many chemists. This simple rule has been validated both experimentally and theoretically. In this review, we select some particular examples to highlight the achievement of Clar's aromatic π-sextet rule in many situations and we discuss two recent successful cases of its application.