Norbornene or norbornylene or norcamphene is a highly strained bridged cyclic

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...

. It is a white solid with a pungent sour odor. The

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...

consists of a

cyclohexene Cyclohexene is a hydrocarbon with the formula . It is a cycloalkene. At room temperature, cyclohexene is a colorless liquid with a sharp odor. Among its uses, it is an chemical intermediate, intermediate in the commercial synthesis of nylon. Prod ...

ring with a

methylene bridge In chemistry, a methylene bridge is part of a molecule with formula . The carbon atom is connected by single bonds to two other distinct atoms in the rest of the molecule. A methylene bridge is often called a methylene group or simply methylene, ...

between carbons 1 and 4. The molecule carries a

double bond In chemistry, a double bond is a covalent bond between two atoms involving four bonding electrons as opposed to two in a single bond. Double bonds occur most commonly between two carbon atoms, for example in alkenes. Many double bonds exist betw ...

which induces significant

ring strain In organic chemistry, ring strain is a type of instability that exists when bonds in a molecule form angles that are abnormal. Strain is most commonly discussed for small rings such as cyclopropanes and cyclobutanes, whose internal angles ar ...

and significant reactivity.

Production

Norbornene is made by a

Diels–Alder reaction In organic chemistry, the Diels–Alder reaction is a chemical reaction between a Conjugated system, conjugated diene and a substituted alkene, commonly termed the Diels–Alder reaction#The dienophile, dienophile, to form a substituted cyclohexe ...

cyclopentadiene Cyclopentadiene is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula C5H6. It is often abbreviated CpH because the cyclopentadienyl anion is abbreviated Cp−. This colorless liquid has a strong and unpleasant odor. At room temperature, ...

and

ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...

. Many substituted norbornenes can be prepared similarly. Related bicyclic compounds are norbornadiene, which has the same carbon skeleton but with two double bonds, and

norbornane Norbornane (also known as bicyclo .2.1eptane) is an organic compound and a saturated hydrocarbon with chemical formula C7H12. It is a crystalline compound with a melting point of 88 °C. The carbon skeleton is derived from cyclohexane ring with ...

which is prepared by

hydrogenation Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to redox, reduce or Saturated ...

of norbornene.

Reactions

Norbornene undergoes an acid-catalyzed

hydration reaction In chemistry, a hydration reaction is a chemical reaction in which a substance combines with water. In organic chemistry, water is added to an unsaturated substrate, which is usually an alkene or an alkyne. This type of reaction is employed indust ...

to form

norborneol Norborneol may refer to alcohols with the norbornane skeleton: * ''endo''-Norborneol * ''exo''-Norborneol {{Short pages monitor