Chapter 28 - Organic synthesis

Question 1

what two organic compounds can form nitriles?

Answer 1

haloalkanes and aldehydes/ketones

Question 2

how are nitriles formed from haloalkanes?

Answer 2

Haloalkanes react with sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide in ethanol (in a nucleophilic substitution reaction)

Question 3

why is forming nitriles from haloalkanes useful?

Answer 3

Increases the length of the carbon chain

Question 4

How can nitriles be formed from aldehydes and ketones?

Answer 4

aldehydes and ketones react with a mixture of sodium cyanide and sulphuric acid in a nucleophilic addition reaction

Question 5

what are the two reactions can nitriles undergo?

Answer 5

Reduction and hydrolysis

Question 6

describe the reduction of nitriles

Answer 6

nitriles react with hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst to form amines

Question 7

describe the hydrolysis of nitriles

Answer 7

nitriles can be heated with dilute aqueous acid to form carboxylic acid

Question 8

What two ways can carbon to carbon bonds be formed on benzene rings?

Answer 8

alkylation or acylation

Question 9

describe the alkylation of benzene?

Answer 9

an alkyl group is transferred from a haloalkane to a benzene ring in the presence of a Friedel-crafts catalyst like aluminium chloride

Question 10

describe the acylation of benzene

Answer 10

benzene reacts with an acyl chloride in the presence of an aluminium chloride catalyst to form a ketone