Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
Organic Chemistry

Summary of Reactions

Organic ChemistrySummary of Reactions

21 • Summary of Reactions

21 • Summary of Reactions

  1. Reactions of carboxylic acids (Section 21.3)
    1. Conversion into acid chlorides
      Conversion of a carboxylic acid to an acid chloride, by reaction with thionyl chloride in trichloromethane (chloroform). The hydroxyl group is replaced by a chlorine atom.
    2. Conversion into esters
      At the top, reaction of a carboxylate ion with an alkyl halide to give an ester through an S N 2 mechanism. At the bottom, reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol to yield an ester.
    3. Conversion into amides
      Conversion of a carboxylic acid to an N-substituted amide by reaction with a monosubstituted amine and D C C.
    4. Reduction to yield primary alcohols
      Conversion of a carboxylic acid to a primary alcohol using lithium aluminum hydride.
  2. Reactions of acid chlorides (Section 21.4)
    1. Hydrolysis to yield acids
      Hydrolysis of an acid chloride using water to give a carboxylic acid and hydrochloric acid.
    2. Reaction with carboxylates to yield anhydrides
      Reaction of an acid chloride with a carboxylate in to form an acid anhydride.
    3. Alcoholysis to yield esters
      The reaction of an acid chloride with an alcohol in the presence of pyridine to form an ester.
    4. Aminolysis to yield amides
      Two molecules of ammonia react with an acid chloride to form an amide and ammonium chloride.
    5. Reduction to yield primary alcohols
      Reaction of an acid chloride with lithium aluminum hydride in ether followed by treatment with acid to generate an alcohol.
    6. Grignard reaction to yield tertiary alcohols
      Reaction of an acid chloride with two moles of Grignard reagent in ether followed by treatment with acid to give a tertiary alcohol.
    7. Diorganocopper reaction to yield ketones
      An acid chloride reacts with diorganocopper-lithium (Gilman reagent) in ether to form an ester.
  3. Reactions of acid anhydrides (Section 21.5)
    1. Hydrolysis to yield acids
      Reaction of an acid anhydride with water gives two equivalents of carboxylic acid.
    2. Alcoholysis to yield esters
      The reaction of an acid anhydride with an alcohol forms an ester and a carboxylic acid.
    3. Aminolysis to yield amides
      The reaction of an acid anhydride with two equivalents of ammonia gives an amide and an ammonium carboxylate salt.
  4. Reactions of esters (Section 21.6)
    1. Hydrolysis to yield acids
      An ester is hydrolyzed to a carboxylic acid and alcohol using either acid or base.
    2. Reduction to yield primary alcohols
      An ester is reduced to an alcohol using lithium aluminum hydride in ether followed by treatment with acid.
    3. Partial reduction to yield aldehydes
      An ester is partially reduced to an aldehyde using D I B A H in toluene followed by treatment with acid.
    4. Grignard reaction to yield tertiary alcohols
      The reaction of an ester with a Grignard reagent in ether followed by treatment with acid produces an alcohol
  5. Reactions of amides (Section 21.7)
    1. Hydrolysis to yield acids
      Hydrolysis of an amide to a carboxylic acid using acid or base.
    2. Reduction to yield amines
      Reduction of amides to amines using lithium aluminum hydride in ether followed by treatment with acid.
PreviousNext
Order a print copy

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/organic-chemistry/pages/1-why-this-chapter
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/organic-chemistry/pages/1-why-this-chapter
Citation information

© Jan 9, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.