In organic chemistry, a cyclic compound is a compound in which a series of carbon atoms are connected to form a loop or ring [1] . Benzene is a well known example. The term "polycyclic" is used when more than one ring is formed in a single molecule for instance in naphtalene, and the term macrocycle is used for a ring containing more than a dozen atoms. Cyclic compounds can be categorized:
Ring-closing & opening reactions
Related concepts in organic chemistry are so-called ring-closing reactions in which a cyclic compound is formed and ring-opening reactions in which rings are opened. Examples of ring-closing reactions:
- Ring-closing metathesis
- Nazarov cyclization reaction
- Ruzicka large ring synthesis
- Dieckmann condensation
- Wenker synthesis
Example of ring-opening reactions:
- A general type of polymerization reaction: Ring-opening polymerization
- Ring opening metathesis polymerisation
