Woodward's rules

Woodward's rules are a set of rules about how organic chemical compounds absorb ultraviolet light.

They give information about the wavelength of the absorption maximum (symbol λ_max ) in an ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectrum of a compound. The rules are named after Robert Burns Woodward. He was a Harvard University professor who won the 1965 Nobel Prize in chemistry. The rules are sometimes called the Woodward-Fieser rules, to also honor Louis Fieser.

The rules build the prediction on the type of chromophores present, the substituents on the chromophores, and changes due to the solvent.^[1][2] Examples are conjugated carbonyl compounds,^[3][4] conjugated dienes,^[5] and polyenes.^[4]

1. ↑ Woodward, Robert Burns (1941). "Structure and the Absorption Spectra of α,β-Unsaturated Ketones". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 63 (4): 1123–1126. doi:10.1021/ja01849a066.
2. ↑ Louis F. Fieser, Mary Fieser, Srinivasa Rajagopalan (1948). "Absorption Spectroscopy and the Structures of the Diosterols". J. Org. Chem. 13 (6): 800–806. doi:10.1021/jo01164a003. PMID 18106021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ↑ Neil Glagovich (2007-07-19). "Woodward's Rules for Conjugated Carbonyl Compounds". Central Connecticut State University. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} William Reusch. "UV-Visible Spectroscopy". VirtualText of Organic Chemistry. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
5. ↑ Neil Glagovich (2007-07-19). "Woodward-Fieser Rules for Dienes". Central Connecticut State University. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-05-05.