Haloalkanes and Haloarenes Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terminology, named reactions, stereochemistry, and polyhalogen compounds from Haloalkanes and Haloarenes.

Haloalkane (Alkyl Halide)

An organic compound in which one or more hydrogen atom(s) in an aliphatic hydrocarbon are replaced by halogen atom(s), with the halogen attached to an $sp^3$ hybridised carbon atom.

Haloarene (Aryl Halide)

An organic compound in which one or more hydrogen atom(s) in an aromatic hydrocarbon are replaced by halogen atom(s), with the halogen directly attached to an $sp^2$ hybridised carbon atom.

Chloramphenicol

A chlorine-containing antibiotic produced by microorganisms that is effective for the treatment of typhoid fever.

Thyroxine

An iodine-containing hormone produced by the human body, the deficiency of which causes a disease called goiter.

Chloroquine

A synthetic halogen-containing compound used for the treatment of malaria.

Halothane

A synthetic halogen compound used as an anaesthetic during surgery.

Allylic Halides

Compounds in which the halogen atom is bonded to an $sp^3$ hybridised carbon atom adjacent to a carbon-carbon double bond ($C=C$).

Benzylic Halides

Compounds in which the halogen atom is bonded to an $sp^3$ hybridised carbon atom attached to an aromatic ring.

Vinylic Halides

Compounds in which the halogen atom is bonded to an $sp^2$ hybridised carbon atom of a carbon-carbon double bond ($C=C$).

Geminal Halides (gem-dihalides)

Dihaloalkanes in which both halogen atoms are attached to the same carbon atom, also known as alkylidene halides.

Vicinal Halides (vic-dihalides)

Dihaloalkanes in which halogen atoms are attached to adjacent carbon atoms, also known as alkylene dihalides.

Ambident Nucleophiles

Groups possessing two nucleophilic centres through which they can link to a substrate, such as cyanides ($\overline{C}\equiv N:$) and nitrites ($-O-N=O$).

Finkelstein Reaction

The preparation of alkyl iodides by reacting alkyl chlorides or bromides with $NaI$ in dry acetone.

Swarts Reaction

The synthesis of alkyl fluorides by heating an alkyl chloride or bromide in the presence of metallic fluorides such as $AgF$, $Hg_2F_2$, $CoF_2$, or $SbF_3$.

Sandmeyer's Reaction

A reaction in which a freshly prepared benzene diazonium halide is treated with cuprous chloride ($Cu_2Cl_2$) or cuprous bromide ($Cu_2Br_2$) to replace the diazonium group with $-Cl$ or $-Br$.

Saytzeff's Rule (Zaitsev's Rule)

A rule stating that in dehydrohalogenation reactions, the preferred product is that alkene which has the greater number of alkyl groups attached to the doubly bonded carbon atoms.

Grignard Reagents

Organometallic compounds of general formula $RMgX$ formed by the reaction of haloalkanes with magnesium metal in dry ether.

Wurtz Reaction

A reaction in which alkyl halides react with sodium in dry ether to give hydrocarbons containing double the number of carbon atoms present in the halide.

Wurtz-Fittig Reaction

The reaction of a mixture of an alkyl halide and an aryl halide with sodium in dry ether to yield an alkylarene.

Fittig Reaction

The reaction of aryl halides with sodium in dry ether to yield compounds in which two aryl groups are joined together.

Optical Activity

The ability of certain organic compounds in solution to rotate the plane of plane-polarised light.

Dextrorotatory

An optically active isomer that rotates plane-polarised light to the right (clockwise), denoted by a $(+)$ sign or $d$-form.

Laevorotatory

An optically active isomer that rotates plane-polarised light to the left (anticlockwise), denoted by a $(-)$ sign or $l$-form.

Chirality

The property of an object or molecule being non-superimposable on its mirror image.

Enantiomers

Stereoisomers that are related to each other as non-superimposable mirror images.

Racemic Mixture

An equimolar mixture containing two enantiomers in equal proportions, resulting in zero net optical rotation, designated by $\pm$ or $(dl)$.

Inversion of Configuration

The stereochemical outcome in an $S_N2$ reaction where the spatial arrangement around the central carbon atom flips opposite to the original substrate.

Retention of Configuration

The preservation of the spatial arrangement of bonds to an asymmetric centre during a chemical transformation without bond cleavage at the stereocentre.

Freons

Chlorofluorocarbon compounds of methane and ethane that are stable, unreactive, non-toxic, and used as propellants and refrigerants.

DDT

A chlorinated organic insecticide ($p,p'-\text{dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane}$) effective against mosquitoes and lice, characterized by high fat solubility and environmental persistence.