Esters are reacted with an excess of organolithium reagents to obtain tertiary alcohols. As always with any organometallic reagents, such as Grignard (RMgX), organocuprates (R2CuLi), etc., the reaction must be carried out under dry conditions to avoid quenching the reagent: … Read more
We have learned in the discussions about Grignard reagents that they must be used in dry conditions and aprotic solvents because the organometallics are strong bases and are quenched in any medium with acidic protons: So, if we … Read more
We have seen earlier that nitriles are commonly prepared by several methods, including the Kolbe nitrile synthesis, which is the SN2 reaction of alkyl halides and cyanides, the Sandmeyer reaction, and the dehydration of primary amides using various dehydrating agents. … Read more
What are Lactones Lactones are defined as cyclic esters of hydroxy carboxylic acids. They are classified based on ring size, where alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-, and epsilon-lactones contain 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-membered rings, respectively. Among these, … Read more
We have seen how aryl ketones are prepared by the Friedel-Crafts acylation when benzene or other aromatic compound derivatives are reacted with acid chlorides in the presence of Lewis acids such as AlCl3. Now, when highly activated benzene … Read more
We have seen a number of important transformations of nitriles, including their conversion to aldehydes and ketones. In today’s post, let’s discuss the reverse transformation, that is, how to convert an aldehyde into a nitrile. Unlike some functional … Read more
We have seen some important transformations of carboxylic acid derivatives, including the hydrolysis of nitriles to carboxylic acids under acidic or basic conditions. So, one question you may encounter on homework assignments is the reverse conversion, that is, going from … Read more
Oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu, is a widely used antiviral drug for the treatment and prevention of influenza. It belongs to a class of compounds known as neuraminidase inhibitors, which block the viral enzyme responsible for the release … Read more
Primidone is an anticonvulsant (antiepileptic) medication used primarily to treat seizure disorders, including generalized tonic-clonic and partial seizures. Chemically, it is a barbiturate-related compound (a deoxybarbiturate), meaning it is structurally similar to barbiturates but has a slightly different pharmacological profile. … Read more
Let’s look at this conversion through the eyes of a student new to organic chemistry: amides are almost like amines, except they contain a carbonyl (C=O) group attached to the nitrogen.So, how can we add a carbonyl to the nitrogen? … Read more
