Unit 4 Questions Flashcards
What are stereoisomers?
Isomers with the same structural formula but different orientations in space
What are two molecules in mirror image called?
Enantiomers
What are enantiomers?
Two molecules in mirror image
What is a chiral molecule?
A molecule that cannot superimpose
What does “optically active” mean?
They rotate the plane of polarised light
What is a racemic mixture?
An equimolar mixture of enantiomers that is optically inactive
Give three pieces of evidence against Kekule’s structure of benzene
- Benzene doesn’t decolourise bromine, therefore has no pi-bonds
- X-ray spectroscopy shows equal bond lengths, which means there can’t be a mixture of singles and doubles
- Hydrogenating cyclohexene to cyclohexane should release 360 kJmol-1 but we only get 208, so benzene is more stable
What is resonance energy?
The difference between the experimental delta H reaction for benzene and the delta A reaction according to Kekule’s structure.
Why is benzene more stable than Kekule’s structure?
Because of the electron delocalisation
Give a detailed explanation of the structure of benzene
A planar ring of carbon atoms bonded to one another and to their hydrogens by sigma (sp2) bonds. Each carbon has one unused p orbital with one electron which sit perpendicular to the plane of the ring with one lobe above and one below. Each p-orbital overlaps sideways with two neighbouring orbitals to form a single pi-bond that extends as a ring of charge above and below the plane.
A diagram would probably be good.
What kind of molecules does benzene attract?
Electrophiles because of the great electron density
What do the characteristic reactions of benzene all involve and why?
They all involve substitution because the delocalised ring of electrons makes benzene incredibly stable. Addition would destroy the ring, requiring more energy than it would take to break a C=C bond.
Nitration of benzene. Name the reagents, conditions, and type of reaction.
What happens if the temperature is too high?
Describe/draw the mechanism
Reagents: concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and concentrated HNO3
Conditions: reflux, 55 degrees C
If the temperature goes above 55, further substitution makes dinitrobenzene.
For the rest see diagram A
What are the two methods of halogenating benzene?
By electrophilic substitution or by free radical addition
Halogenating of benzene by free radical addition: conditions and skeletal equation diagram
UV light at a warm temperature
For the reaction see diagram B
Halogenation of benzene via electrophilic substitution: conditions and skeletal mechanism
Room temperature and a halogen carrier (Friedel-Crafts catalyst)
For reaction see diagram C
Alkylation of benzene: reagents and skeletal mechanism
The alkyl group must be within a halogenoalkane and needs a Friedel-Crafts catalyst
For mechanism see diagram D
Why does hydrolysis of benzene not work under normal conditions when the halogen is attached directly to the ring? What conditions does it need?
The C-Cl bond is too strong in chlorobenzene due to the delocalisation of the pi electron cloud of the ring with the p-orbital electrons (or lone pairs) of the chlorine atom. Furthermore, benzene is already electron rich and therefore not susceptible to nucleophilic attack.
Hydrolysis needs extreme conditions such as 200atm, 473K.
Forming alcohols from halogenoalkanes: reagents, conditions, reaction type.
Give the mechanism (displayed)
What kinds of alcohols does this not work well for and why?
Reagents: Aqueous NaOH solution
Conditions: warm, reflux
Type: nucleophilic substitution
Doesn’t work well for aromatic halides with the halide directly on the ring, as the C-Cl bond is less polar/stronger and therefore less susceptible to nucleophilic substitution
For the mechanism see diagram E
Forming alcohols from carbonyl compounds: give the two reducing agents used and their respective conditions and uses
NaBH4 aqueous at room temperature. Cannot directly reduce carboxylic acid to primary alcohol
LiAlH4 in dry ether at 0 degrees. Used when NaBH4 cannot be.
Formation of alcohols from alkenes: reagents, conditions, and reaction type. The mechanism’s pretty easy so I won’t ask for that.
Add water. Needs phosphoric (V) acid (H3PO4) as a catalyst.
350 degrees, 60 atm
Hydration reaction
Name the three types of compounds from which we can make alcohols
- Alkenes
- Halogenoalkanes
- Carbonyl compounds
Show the oxidisation process of primary alcohols with half ionic equations
See diagram F
What is produced by oxidising each type of alcohol?
Primary —> aldehyde —> carboxylic acid (reflux and excess oxidising agent)
Secondary —> ketone
Tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidised as there are no hydrogens on the hydroxy-bearing carbon
What is an alternative way of making aldehydes and ketones that doesn’t involve adding an oxidising agent to an alcohol?
Passing the alcohol over a copper catalyst at 500 degrees
Dehydration of alcohols: what do we make and what are the standard reagents and conditions?
Name two other reagents and conditions, if they have any
We make an alkene by losing a water molecule. Standard reagents are excess concentrated H2SO4 and 180 degrees
Other reagents: alumina (AlO3) and ethanol vapour at 350 degrees
Hot concentrated phosphoric (V) acid (H3PO4)
Describe what kind of reaction the halogenation of an alcohol is. What is the yield like? What can it be used for? What do secondary alcohols give and how do we see this?
Nucleophilic substitution
Slow, reversible, and low-yield
Can be used to test the stability of carbocations
Secondary alcohols make secondary halide compounds. These are insoluble and give some cloudiness over time.
Chlorination of an alcohol: give the conditions, standard reagents, two alternative reagents, and general equation
Anhydrous zinc chloride (catalyst) and HCl gas with heat
Alternatively, phosphorous (V) chloride, PCl5, or sulphur dichloride oxide, SOCl2
R-OH + HCl —> R-Cl + H2O
Bromination of an alcohol: give the conditions and general equation
Potassium bromide (KBr) and 50% H2SO4, warm
R-OH + KBr + H2SO4 —> R-Br + H2O + KHSO4
Iodination of an alcohol: give the reagents and conditions
Red phosphorus (P) and iodine (I2), warm
Give the reagents, conditions, products, likely yield, and equation of the reaction of an alcohol with acyl chloride
Anhydrous ethanoyl chloride, room temperature. Products are an ester.
Maximum yield possible as the reaction is not reversible
for equation see diagram G
What is an alternative name for the reaction of alcohol with acyl chloride?
Ethanoylation
What is an alternative name for the reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid?
Esterification
Reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid: reagents, conditions, product, and how to isolate that product. Give displayed mechanism as well (the 1-step one)
Concentrated H2SO4, heat
The product is an ester, and to attain it we add sodium hydrogen carbonate solution to neutralise the leftover acid, separate using a separating funnel, dry and distil ester layer.
For mechanism see diagram H
Give the detailed mechanism of the reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid
There’s no way I’m typing that out. See diagram I
Give four physical characteristics of phenol
- Crystalline
- Colourless
- Oxidises easily to become pink
- Hydrogen bonding makes it slightly miscible in water
How does the acidity of phenol compare to that of ethanol? Is the remaining phenoxide ion stable?
Draw a skeletal mechanism of the delocalisation of phenol in water.
It is more acidic than ethanol in aqueous solution because the lone pair from the oxygen is displaced towards the benzene ring, effectively releasing the H+.
The remaining phenoxide ion is stable because the oxygen’s p-orbital joins the delocalised pi electron ring.
For the mechanism see diagram J
Give two methods for distinguishing alcohols from phenols
- Add excess bromine. Phenol forms a white ppt, alcohols don’t decolourise
- Add aqueous FeCl3. Phenol goes violet, alcohol remains orange.
Which undergoes electrophilic substitution better, phenol or benzene?
Phenol of course! That was easy
Give the two general steps and one observation of electrophilic substitution reactions in phenol. Give a skeletal mechanism of the first.
- All reactions start with adding NaOH to make sodium phenoxide (for mechanism see diagram K)
- The hydroxy group activates the delocalised ring, causing a build-up at the 2-, 4-, and 6- positions.
You would observe white misty fumes of hydrogen halide before dissolving into, say, hydrobromic acid.
What is the difference between the reaction of phenol with sodium carbonate and the reaction between an acid and sodium carbonate?
Acids produce CO2 effervescence, turning limewater cloudy.
Despite being weakly acidic, phenol does no such thing.
What does ethanoylation produce? Is this faster in aliphatic or aromatic compounds?
Ethanoylation produces an ester. This is much faster in aliphatics.
Give the two-step process of ethanoylation (makes an ester) of phenol, with equations
First, make a phenoxide ion by putting the ester in an alkaline solution (I’m gonna be brave and type this out)
C6H5OH + OH- —> C6H5O + H2O
The resulting phenoxide ion will only form an ester with an acyl chloride
C6H5O- + CH3COCl —> CH3COOC6H5 + Cl-
Can we make an ester by reacting phenol with a carboxylic acid?
No, this is impossible. Phenol is not a strong enough nucleophile to attack the polar atom of the ethanoyl group.
Give the observations of the following reacting with ethanol and phenol.
NaOH
NaOH in I2 (iodoform reaction)
Br2
Ethanoic acid with concentrated H2SO4
FeCl3
Concentrated H2SO4
Ethanol: Phenol:
No reaction. Phenoxide ion
Yellow ppt. No reaction
No reaction (orange). White ppt
Ester formed. No ester formed
No change (orange). Violet colour
Ethene. No reaction
Do aldehydes and ketones form hydrogen bonds?
Not in the pure state, as the H is not directly bonded to the O
Do aldehydes and ketones have an equal charge all the way through?
No, they have a permanent dipole as the electronegative O withdraws electrons from the C
Where is the boiling point of aldehydes and ketones compared to other molecules?
It’s higher than similarly large non-polar molecules but lower than for compounds that can hydrogen bond with themselves.