Abstract
The pyrroles are becoming an increasingly important class of compounds, largely because of the potential uses of polypyrroles as new materials with novel electrical and optical properties. For work in this area to be successful, a better understanding of the factors which affect their chemical reactivity is required. It is for these reasons that the current study was undertaken. The thesis is divided into two chapters: Chapter One gives an introduction to pyrrole chemistry, and outlines some of the work that has been carried out in the areas of preparation, protonation and hydrogen isotope exchange. Chapter Two describes the preparation, labelling and subsequent detritiation of a number of selected alkyl- and aryl-pyrroles, some of which have been prepared for the first time. The results show pyrroles to be amongst the most reactive of aromatic compounds towards acid catalysed hydrogen isotope exchange. Rates of detritiation were found to correlate in a logical manner with the electronic properties of substituent groups.