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4.5: Oxidation of Alkynes- Oxidative Cleavage Reactions

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    448315
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    Objectives

    After completing this section, you should be able to

    1. write an equation to represent the oxidative cleavage of an alkyne with potassium permanganate or ozone.
    2. identify the products that result from the oxidative cleavage of a given alkyne.
    3. identify the reagents needed to carry out the oxidative cleavage of an alkyne.
    4. use the results of an oxidative cleavage to determine the identity of an alkyne of unknown structure.
    Study Notes

    Compare the oxidative cleavage of alkynes with the oxidative cleavage of alkenes, discussed in Section 4.4.

     

    Strong Alkyne Oxidation - Oxidative Cleavage

    During strong oxidation with ozone or basic potassium permanganate, the alkyne is cleaved into two products. Because at least one of the reaction products is a carboxylic acid, it is important to consider the acid-base chemistry of the product in the reaction solution. Carboxylic acids are deprotonated in basic solutions to carboxylates. A second reaction step is required to protonate the carboxylate to the neutral form of the carboxylic acid.

    internal alkynes react with strong oxidants to produce two carboxylic acids.svg

    terminal alkynes react with strong oxidants to produce a carboxylic acid and carbon dioxide.svg

    Exercise

    1. Draw the bond-line structures for the product(s) of the following reactions.

    a. 3-heptyne reacts with 1. KMnO4/hydroxide, then 2. H3O+ ; b. 3-heptyne reacts with 1. O3, then 2. H2O ; c. 1-pentyne reacts with 1. KMnO4/hydroxide then 2. H3O+ ; d. 1-pentyne reacts with 1. O3, then 2. H2O.svg

    Answer

    1.

    a. and b. produce butyric acid and propionic acid ; c. and d. produce butyric acid and carbon dioxide.svg

    Oxidative cleavage of alkynes produces carboxylic acids and/or carbon dioxide.
    Aldehydes are not produced.


    4.5: Oxidation of Alkynes- Oxidative Cleavage Reactions is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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