Organic synthesis Flashcards
What is the formation of nitriles from haloalkanes?
Reacting haloalkanes with sodium cyanide or potassium cynanide in ethanol increases the length of the carbon chain.
Nucleophilic substitution.
CH3CH2Cl + KCN –> CH3CH2CN + KCl
What is the formation of nitriles from aldehydes and ketones?
Aldehydes and ketones react with hydrogen cyanide in a nucleophilic addition reaction to increase the number of carbon atoms, forming a hydroxynitrile.
Hydrogen cyanide is poisonous so a mixture of NaCN and H2SO4 is used to improve safety and reaction rate.
What is the reduction of nitriles?
Nitriles are reduced to amines by reacting hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst.
CH3CH2CN + 2H2 –Ni–> CH3CH2CH2NH2
What is the hydrolysis of nitriles?
Nitriles are hydrolysed to carboxylic acids by heating with dilute aqueous acid.
CH3CH2CN + 2H2O + HCl –> CH3CH2COOH + NH4Cl
What is alkylation of benzene rings?
An alkyl group from a haloalkane is transferred to a benzene ring using a Friedel Crafts catalyst like AlCl3.
What is acylation of benzene rings?
Benzene reacts with an acyl chloride in the presence of AlCl3 to form a ketone.
What is filtration under reduced pressure?
Used to separate a solid product from a solvent or liquid reaction mixture.
Diagram:
Buchner flask
Buchner funnel
Pressure tubing
Filter paper
Filter / vacuum pump
What is the method of filtration under reduced pressure?
Slowly pour the reaction mixture from the beaker into the filter paper in the funnel.
Rinse the beaker with cold solvent to collect all the crystals.
Rinse the crystals in the funnel with more solvent and let dry for a few minutes.
What is recrystallisation?
The solid product formed from filtration contains impurities which can be removed by recrystallisation.
Purification depends upon the desired product and the impurities having different solubilities in the chosen solvent.
What is the method of recrystallisation?
If flammable, heat the solvent in a water bath. If water, place the conical flask on a tripod over a bunsen burner to warm.
Slowly add the minimum volume of hot solvent to the sample until it dissolves.
Once dissolved, allow to cool. Crystals should form (scratch with glass rod if not), then when no more form, filter under reduced pressure to obtain dry crystalline solid.
What is melting point used for?
The melting point can determine if a sample is pure.
A pure organic substance has a very sharp range of 1 or 2 degrees.
An impure sample has a lower melting point than a pure sample.
What are the 2-, 4-, directing groups?
NH2
OH
OR
R
C6H5
Halogens
What are the 3- directing groups?
RCOR
COOR
COOH
SO3H
CHO
CN
NO2
NR3+
What is chromatography?
It is used to separate individual components from a mixture of substances.
The stationary phase does not move and is normally a solid or liquid supported on a solid.
The mobile phase does move, and is usually a gas or liquid.
Used for analysis of drugs, plastics, flavourings, air samples and forensic science.
What is Thin Layer Chromatography?
TLC is a quick and inexpensive analytical technique that indicates how many components are in a mixture.
It uses a TLC plate which is usually plastic or glass sheet, coated with a thin layer of a solid adsorbent substance, usually silica.
What is the adsorbent in TLC?
It is the stationary phase.
The different components in the mixture have different affinities for the absorbent and bind with differing strengths to its surface.
Strong adsorption = less distance travelled.