Abstract The electronic structures of bicyclo(1.1.0)butane, tricyclo(3.1.0.0)hexane, tricyclo(2.1.0.0)pentane, tricyclo(1.1.0.0)butane, prismane, and spiro(2.2)pentane are studied by the extended Huckel method. The calculated total energies of bicyclo(1.1.0) butanes with various dihedral angles, θ, and bridgehead C–C–H angles, α, show that the most stable configuration of bicyclo-butane is at α=135° and θ=115–120°. It is made clear that the s-nature of the carbon atoms of the C–Haxial and C–Hequatorial depends greatly on the dihedral angle of the two cyclopropane rings. The double-bond character between the bridgehead carbon atoms in the bicyclobutane and its homologues is pointed out. The stabilities of the C–C bonds of prismane are shown to be largely dependent on the angle between the C–H bond and the four-membered-ring plane. The electronic structures of some configurations of spiropentane with different dihedral angles are discussed. The physico-chemical properties of these compounds are briefly investigated.
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