In the previous post, we discussed the alkylation reactions of enolates, which are one of the most important transformations in carbonyl chemistry. Enolates are typically formed from carbonyl compounds, but they are not limited to aldehydes and ketones. Similar enolate-type … Read more
Both Grignard and organolithium reagents can be used to convert nitriles to ketones. Â Â The new C-C bonds are formed by nucleophilic addition of the organometallic reagents to the polar C-N triple bond. After protonation of the resulting anion, … Read more
Preparation of Amides Amides can be prepared from acyl chlorides, esters, and carboxylic acids. The most straightforward should be the reaction with acid chlorides since they are the most reactive carboxylic acid derivatives, and amines are good nucleophiles too. This … Read more
Acyl chlorides are very useful in reactions with organometallics because they can selectively be converted into alcohols or ketones. For example, Grignard reagents will react with acyl chlorides to produce alcohols, while organocuprates (Gilman’s), also known as lithium dialkyl cuprates, … Read more
Acyl chlorides, being the most reactive among carboxylic acid derivatives, undergo a wide variety of nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions. A quick reminder, in a nucleophilic acyl substitution, the leaving group is replaced by a nucleophile by the addition-elimination mechanism: Â … Read more
Carboxylic acid derivatives practice problems This is a comprehensive practice problem covering most of the nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions of carboxylic acids and their derivatives. Here is the content of this 1-hour video for the practice problem solutions: The detailed … Read more
Acetals are the protecting groups for aldehydes and ketones. They can be used, for example, when a selective reduction of an ester is needed in the presence of an aldehyde or a ketone: Â Â Remember, aldehydes are more reactive … Read more
Organic Chemistry Practice Problems can be found after each topic covered in Chemistry Steps. The list of topics can be found here, and below are some examples of what you will find.  Refer to this post if you are seeking … Read more
Why do you think the following Grignard reaction is impossible to carry out without having a protecting group on the alcohol?  What is even a protecting group? These are the questions we are going to address in today’s article. … Read more
The main difference of the Grignard reaction compared to everything else you learn in the reactions of alcohols is that it is another way of making a new C-C bond and extending the carbon chain of the molecule. The most … Read more
