Why are aromatic compounds typically more stable than non-aromatic ones?

Aromatic compounds exhibit greater stability compared to non-aromatic compounds primarily due to resonance stabilization. In aromatic compounds, the pi electrons are delocalized over the entire ring structure, resulting in a significant decrease in energy. This delocalization provides a stabilizing effect that is often quantified using Hückel's rule, which states that a compound must have a planar, cyclic structure with a certain number of pi electrons (specifically, (4n + 2), where (n) is a non-negative integer) to be considered aromatic.

This resonance stabilization allows aromatic compounds to disperse energy and resist reactions that would otherwise disrupt their stable configurations. As a result, they typically show greater resistance to chemical changes compared to non-aromatic compounds, which lack this delocalized electron system and thus are more prone to reactions.

The other options do not correctly describe the primary reason for the increased stability of aromatic systems. Fewer bonds do not confer stability inherently, and high reactivity is opposite to the definition of stability. Higher electronegativities pertain more to the nature of specific atoms within a compound rather than an overarching reason for stability in aromatic compounds. Thus, the resonance stabilization is key to understanding the stability of aliphatic versus aromatic