Reaction Types & Reagents

These flashcards cover key reagents, reaction types, and products associated with organic chemistry reaction mechanisms.

Reduction Reactions

Reactions that involve the gain of electrons or a decrease in oxidation state, often resulting in the formation of alcohols from carbonyl compounds.

NaBH4

A reducing agent used for the reduction of aldehydes and ketones to primary or secondary alcohols.

LiAlH4

A more powerful reducing agent than NaBH4, capable of reducing aldehydes, ketones, esters, and carboxylic acids to alcohols.

H₂ / Pd or Pt

A catalytic hydrogenation method used to convert alkenes, alkynes, and ketones to alkanes or alcohols.

Oxidation Reactions

Reactions that involve the loss of electrons or an increase in oxidation state, typically converting alcohols to carbonyls or carboxylic acids.

PCC

Pyridinium chlorochromate, a mild oxidizing agent used to convert primary alcohols to aldehydes without further oxidation.

Jones reagent

A strong oxidizing reagent (CrO3/H2SO4) used for converting primary alcohols to carboxylic acids and secondary alcohols to ketones.

KMnO4 (cold, dilute)

A reagent used for the oxidation of alkenes to vicinal diols.

Halogenation

A reaction involving the addition of halogen (Br2 or Cl2) across a double bond to form vicinal dihalides.

Hydroboration-oxidation

A two-step reaction process that converts alkenes to alcohols, where the addition of B2H6 followed by oxidation results in anti-Markovnikov addition.

Nucleophilic Addition to Carbonyls

Reactions where nucleophiles attack the electrophilic carbon in carbonyl compounds.

Grignard (RMgX)

A powerful nucleophile used in the addition to carbonyl compounds to form alcohols after acid workup.

Cleavage Reactions

Reactions that involve breaking double bonds (alkenes) to form smaller carbonyl compounds (aldehydes or ketones).

Friedel-Crafts alkylation

A type of substitution reaction that introduces an alkyl group onto an aromatic ring using an alkyl halide and a Lewis acid catalyst.

Friedel-Crafts acylation

A substitution reaction that introduces an acyl group onto an aromatic ring, using an acyl chloride and a Lewis acid.