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Topic: Zinc with organics  (Read 6774 times)

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Offline viets7ylez

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Zinc with organics
« on: November 28, 2007, 01:25:45 PM »
Im working on a old final test that does a flow chart of reactions and at the end I have

C12H14Br4O + Zn (Excess) -->

and I have no idea what the Zn does.

Any ideas?

Offline sjb

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Re: Zinc with organics
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2007, 03:08:38 PM »
C12H14Br4O + Zn (Excess) -->

and I have no idea what the Zn does.

Any ideas?

It could do several things, depending on what C12H14Br4O actually is. For instance, you can reduce various functional groups with it (ArNO2 -> typically ANH2, or alkynes to olefins), you may form Reformatsky style intermediates and do subsequent further chemistry....

S

Offline RBF

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Re: Zinc with organics
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2007, 03:13:02 PM »
Check out "reductive dehalogenation" as a possibility.  Zinc is often used in these types of reactions, and the molecule in question does have bromine (although exactly where is not apparent)

Offline lutesium

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Re: Zinc with organics
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2007, 05:41:37 AM »
Zinc + Formic acid can even reduce Ar-NO2 to Ar-NH2 so its a good reducing regent in my sight!!!


Lutesium

Offline djay

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Re: Zinc with organics
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2007, 09:13:41 PM »
If its in ether then its the Wurtz reaction.

Offline lutesium

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Re: Zinc with organics
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2007, 10:53:52 PM »
Yeah Djay but you dont need a solvent many times!!! But the reaction is sooo vigorous that I remember myself once adding the formic acid to the RXN mixture too fast and then the RXN bumped burning all my arms and damaging my hotplate + stirrer combo!!! So be careful!


Lutesium...

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