Structure Resonance Theory. Correlations of Electron Affinities and Polarographic Reduction Potentials of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Abstract The electron affinities and the polarographic half‐wave reduction potentials of aromatic hydrocarbons were correlated with the logarithms of the structure counts of the neutral molecules and the radical anions, ln SC(R) and ln SC(R°), respectively. Regioselectivity in the electrochemical reduction of these hydrocarbons is also discussed. The results obtained in this work indicate that the structure resonance theory can be successfully used for correlations of this type, and that effects due to the delocalization of π‐electrons in both the neutral and charged species are important factors in the electro‐chemical reduction of aromatic hydrocarbons.