Decarboxylation is the loss of carbon dioxide upon heating, typically characteristic of carboxylic acids with a β-carbonyl group. These are most often beta-keto acids, malonic acid, or its derivatives:   Carboxylic acids by themselves are very stable and do … Read more
Preparation of Aniline There are a few main ways of preparing aniline: Reduction of the Nitro Group We can add a nitro group to benzene or its derivative via a standard nitration using HNO3 and H2SO4, and then reduce the … Read more
Preparation of Phenols Phenols can be prepared industrially by a substitution reaction of aryl halides under extreme conditions: Â Â This is a type of nucleophilic aromatic substitution via a benzyne intermediate: Â Â Milder conditions suitable for laboratory preparation … Read more
Remember, earlier, we discussed the Friedel–Crafts acylation reaction, which is used for preparing aryl ketones by reacting aromatic compounds with an acyl halide in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst.   Now, here is a question: how can … Read more
Epoxides are three-membered rings containing an oxygen atom. They are associated with high ring strain, and this is the basis of their reactivity towards nucleophiles despite lacking a good leaving group. The ring strain is a combination of two destabilizing factors: angle … Read more
In the previous post, we discussed the ring-opening reactions of epoxides with strong and weak nucleophiles. Using this information, try solving the following practice problems.
In the following practice problems, the reactions and different ways of preparing amines will be discussed. Keep in mind that aside from the reactions specifically related to amines, such as the Gabriel amine synthesis, there are transformations that will require … Read more
Reaction with Primary Aliphatic and Aromatic Amines Primary aliphatic and aromatic amines react with nitrous acid, forming arena diazonium salts, while the reaction of secondary amines gives N-nitrosamines (R2NN=O).   Now, let’s take a closer look and see how … Read more
In the previous post, we talked about the acetoacetic ester synthesis, which is used for preparing ketones having one or two alkyl groups on the É‘ position: Â Â Another way to look at this reaction is to say that … Read more
We have already talked about the ortho, para, and meta directions in electrophilic aromatic substitution and their combined effect for disubstituted benzene. This should allow us to synthesize different aromatic compounds starting from benzene. For example, how can we synthesize … Read more
