One of the seminal achievements in 20th century organic chemistry was the formulation of the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. Beginning with five communications in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1965, R. B. Woodward and Roald Hoffmann revealed a single mechanistic explantion for all pericyclic reactions (i.e., all 'cyclic-bonding concerted reactions). In doing so, they also initiated a revolution in chemistry: the value of an intimate, synergestic collaboration between an experimentalist and a theoretical/computational chemist. Why was it Woodward and Hoffmann, as individuals and as a team, that solved the no-mechanism problem? Was was it not tens of other brilliant chemists who were also so very close to the solution? Indeed, why was it not Luitzen Oosterhoff or Kenichi Fukui in 1961 and 1964, respectively, who first proposed orbtial symmetry to explain independently the mechanisms of portions of these reaction. And what are we to make of E. J. Corey's claim made during his 2004 Priestley Medal address that Woodward stole his (Corey's) ideas that led to the W-H rules? All together, these among others form a panoply of stories that explain the progress of science and the role played by the humanness of its practicioners.

History of the development of the Woodward-Hoffmann rules: A panoply of stories

ACS Spring 2022

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