Problem

In this week we assignment we were asked to come up with a problem from chapter 24 or chapter 26 as a test questioin. I will be discussing the Claisen Reaction from chapter 24. the Claisen reaction is known as the second general reaction of enolates with other carbonyl compounds. In this reaction two molecules of an ester react with each other in the presence of an alkoxie base to form a beta-keto ester. An example of a Claisen reaction is shown below:

In this reaction the products are known to be beta-ketoesters which can be useful for synthetic intermediates. The product in this equation is the original ester with a acyl group added on from ethyl ethanoate. A test question that could appear on the test would be draw the structure of the product that would be obtained from the following reagents. Problem number two represents the clasien condensation question. 

References:

http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty/reusch/VirtTxtJml/crbacid3.htm

Extra Credit

Guest speaker Steven R. Myers presented the effects of tobacco smoking durnig pregnancy. There are many risk that come while smoking during pregnancy which include: miscarriages, stillborn babies, premature birth, low birth-weight babies, SIDS, and second hand smoke. During his presentation I found some interesting things out which included: during the first six to eight weeks of the pregnancy this is when the most harm can be done to the baby. In addition to this, the way they tested women smokers versus non-smokers during there pregnancy is using a biomarker which is defined as: anything that can be used in the body to follow it. With using biomarkers researchers are able to see the harms done to the baby while in the mother's womb.
One organic compound that was mentioned that is used in cigarettes was formaldehyde. Not only is this organic compound used in cigarettes but formaldehyde is also sold as a 37% aqueous solution known as formalin, which has been used as a disinfectant, antiseptic, and perservative for biological specimens. This compound is also known to be a combustion of coal and other fossil fuels which is partly responsible for the irration caused by smoggy air. The following picture below shows formaldehyde:

Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky halogenation

The Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky halogenation mechanism halogeantes carboxylic acids at the alpha carbon. In this reaction it takes place in the absence of a halogen carrier. From here the reaction can be initiatied by the addition of a catalytic amount of either PCl3, PBr3, red phosphorous, or Br2. The standard mechanism of this is shown below:

 
This mechanism shows how PBr3 replaces the carboxylic OH with a bromide which results in the carboxylic acid bromide. At this point the acyl bromide can be tautomerize to an enol, which will react with the Br2 a second time at the alpha poisition. In addition to this, the reaction depends on the enol type character of carbonyl compounds as well as the product of the reaction, an alpha-bromocarboxylic acid can be converted by substitution reactions to either a alpha-hydroxy or a alpha-amino carboxylic acid.
An example that I found where the Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky halogenation process occured is shown below:

This reaction shows that using PBr3 with Br2 also known as an intermediate acid bromide is formed which undergoes enolization and bromination. 

Refernces:
1.Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky halogenation. Wikipedia the encyclopedia. 21 April 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky_halogenation.

2. Jie Jack Li. Hell-Volhard -Zelinsky halogenation. http://www.springerlink.com/content/t2ur113r36720270/.

Benzyl Butyrate

Benzyl Butyrate contains a molecular formula of C11H14O2, a boiling point of 240 °C, density of 1.009 g/mL, contains a boiling point between 238.00 to 240.00°C. A picture of benzyl butyrate is shown below: 

Benzyl Butyrate is known to be a clear colorless liquid in appearance and contains a strong fruity odor like apricots. However, other researchers say that it smells like flowers. Benzyl butyrate is derived from benzyl alcohol and butanoic acid. The reaction for this is shown below:

CH3CH2CH2-COOH + C6H5CH2OH ---------------->    C11H14O2
            


Benzyl Butyrate is soluble in alcohol and is used in perfume companion as a modifier for to benzyl acetate and benzyl propionate. In addition to this, the compound is used in flavoring as well as plactizier (something that makes plastic less rigid by breaking up the molecules). An example of this ester reacting to form a carboxylic acid derivative would be benzyl butyrate and benzyl alcohol can be converted to a carboxylic acid derivative by merely undergoing the reaction with a aldehyde which would give the carboxylic acid since aldehyde's convert benzene rings to carboxylic acids.  

Organolithium Reaction

An organolithium is known as an organometallic compound that contains a direct bond between a carbon and a lithium atom. An example of a organolithium is shown below:


In this diagram it shows how the reagents are typically prepared by reaction of an alkyl halide with the corresponding metal. Since this mechanism uses lithium (Li), the halogen and the metal exchange to form the organolithium reagent. In addition to this, the IUPAC name of the product would be: 2-cyclopentylacetophenone. In part B this shows the organolithium being used in the reaction when the starting product is reacted with t-BuLi. With that in mind, the new c-c bonds are formed in the product that is labeled with the 2 under it. These new c-c bonds are the benzene ring that is formed as well as the ketone bond formed.