14.3: Heteroaromaticity
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Aromaticity can also occur when atoms other than carbon are present in the ring. Pyridine is a good example. The nitrogen in pyridine is sp2 hybridized, where the sp2 orbital contains the lone pair and the atomic p orbital contains a single electron that is pairing with another electron in an atomic p orbital to create a π bond. The aromatic stabilization energy for pyridine is 32 kcal/mol (much less than benzene). Heteroaromatics are higher in energy than benzene. Think of it this way – heteroatoms do not like sharing their electrons because they are more electronegative.
How about other aromatics?
Here is some additional nomenclature to learn: