The Synthesis and Characterization of Carbonyl Compounds
- Page ID
- 126787
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Students participate in planning exactly what they are going to do in the laboratory by being given general goals and directions that have to be adapted to fit the specific project they will be working on. They use microscale equipment, which requires them to develop manual dexterity and care in working in the laboratory. They also evaluate the results of their experiments by checking for identity and purity using various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. These labs are supported by an LSA Instructional Technology Committee New Initiatives/New Infrastructure grant.
- 2: Reduction of Organic Compounds (Experiment)
- Hydride based reducing agents LiAlH₄ (lithium aluminum hydride) and NaBH₄ (sodium borohydride) react with ketones and aldehydes to produce a 1° or 2° alcohol product. Both reagents were discovered by Schlesinger in the 1940s and are routinely used in organic synthesis. NaBH₄ is a milder reducing agent than LiAlH₄ and can be used in protic solvents, such as ethanol. However, LiAlH₄ must always be used in aprotic solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran, and under extremely rigorous anhydrous conditions.
- 3: Esterification (Experiment)
- Benzocaine is the trade name for the local anesthetic known chemically as ethyl p-aminobenzoate, which is found in many creams and ointments used in the treatment of pain due to sunburn, minor burns, cuts, scrapes and insect bites. Benzocaine is structurally analogous to Cocaine, Lidocaine, and Novocaine (shown below) and is prepared by the esterification of p-aminobenzoic acid with ethanol.
- 6: The Wittig Reaction (Experiment)
- The Wittig reaction is one of the most widely used methods for forming carbon-carbon double bonds, because it is easy to carry out and often gives high yields of pure product. It is named after its discoverer, German chemist Georg Wittig. The reaction involves the addition of a phosphorus ylide to an aldehyde or ketone to form double bond with the elimination of phosphine oxide.