Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/paper-1/a5/b/iv/solution

The six electrons give the Hückel method energy
The appropriate localized reference contains two C=N bonds and one C=C bond. Three C=C bonds would incorrectly replace the nitrogen one-centre parameters. For one isolated C=N pair, the dimensionless matrix is
whose eigenvalues are . Since , the occupied bonding molecular orbital has energy . Two doubly occupied C=N bonds and one doubly occupied C=C bond consequently give
Therefore the signed delocalization energy is
The positive stabilization is , smaller than the benzene value in the stated model but still stabilizing.
Pyrazine is aromatic: its planar cyclic conjugated system contains six electrons and has a filled set of three bonding molecular orbitals. Each ring nitrogen contributes one electron; its in-plane lone pair is outside this system. The heteroatoms change orbital energies and coefficients without interrupting cyclic conjugation or the count. Aromaticity does not require the stabilization to equal benzene's.

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