Organic Reactions

• Primary Alcohol >>> Carboxylic Acid

Conditions: Reflux with acidified potassium dichromate

Observations: Colour Change (Orange >>> Green)

• Primary Alcohols >>> Alkenes

Dehydration/Elimination Reaction

Conditions: Pass ethanol vapour over heated aluminium oxide

• Secondary Alcohols >>> Secondary Halogenalkanes (Lucas Test)

React secondary alcohol with hydrogen halide to form secondary halogenoalkane.

Conditions: Alcohol treated with anhydrous zinc chloride and conc. HCL

• Alcohol >>> Ester

React alcohol with carboxylic acid

Conditions: Reflux with conc. H₂SO₄

• Alcohol >>> Acyl Chlorides

Forms an ester and HCL

• Primary alcohol >>> Aldehydes + Carboxylic Acids

Oxidation

Aldehyde Conditions: Warm with acidified potassium dichromate, product must be distilled off as it forms.

Observations: Colour Change (Orange >>> Green)

Carboxylic Acid Conditions: Reflux

• Secondary Alcohols >>> Ketones

Oxidation

Conditions: Reflux with acidified potassium dichromate

Observations: Colour Change (Orange >>> Green)

• Phenol >>> 2,4,6 - Tribromophenol

Electrophillic Substitution

Conditions: React with 3HBr

Observations: Bromine water decolourises - white ppt forms with antiseptic smell

• Phenol >>> Sodium Phenoxide

Conditions: Reacts with aqueous sodium hydroxide

• Aldehyde >>> Primary Alcohols

Reduction

Conditions: Aqueous sodium tetrahydridoborate (NaBH₄)

• Ketone >>> Secondary Alcohol

Reduction

Conditions: Same as above

• Carbonyl Compound >>> Hydroxynitrile

Nucleophillic Addition >>> IT ADDS AN EXTRA CARBON!!!!!!! (V.IMPORTANT!!!)

Conditions: React with HCN/KCN

• Carboxylic Acid >>> Acyl Chloride (Acylation)

The product is separated by distillation

Conditions: React with phosphorus (V) chloride (PCl₅)

• Carboxylic Acid >>> Primary Alcohol

Reduction

Conditions: Reducing agent: Lithium tetrahydrido aluminate (LiAlH₄) in DRY ETHER!!

• Carboxylic Acid >>> Alkane

Decarboxylation >>> REMOVES A CARBON ATOM!!!!!! (V.IMPORTANT!!!)

Conditions: Usually carried out with the carboxylate salt, it's mixed with SODA LIME (NaOH + CaO₂)

• Carboxylic Acid >>> Amides

Dehydration

Conditions:

Step 1: Excess carboxylic acid is refluxed with ammonium carbonate to form the ammonium salt (excess prevents the ammonium salt from decomposing into the carboxylic acid and ammonia).

Step 2: On heating, the ammonium salt of the acid dehydrates forming the amide.

• Amides >>> Nitriles

Dehydration

Conditions: Strongly heat amide with phosphorus (V) oxide (P₄O₁₀-)

• Amides >>> Carboxylate Salt and Ammonia

Conditions: Heat with aqueous strong alkalis (NaOH)

• Nitrile >>> Carboxylate Salt and Ammonia

Hydrolysis

Conditions: Heat with aqueous strong acids (H₂SO₄)

• Nitrile >>> Carboxylate Salt and Ammonia Gas

Hydrolysis

Conditions: Heat with aqueous strong alkalis (NaOH)

• Nitriles >>> Amines

Reduction

Conditions: React with lithium tetrahydrido aluminate (LiAlH₄) in DRY ETHER!!!

• Primary Amines >>> Substituted Amides

Conditions: React with ethanoyl chloride

• Aliphatic Amine >>> Alcohol, Nitrogen Gas and Water

Conditions: React at room temperature using nitric acid (HNO₂) prepared insitu from sodium nitrate (III) and hydrochloric acid

• Halogenation of Benzene

Electrophillic Substitution

Conditions: React at room temperature in anhydrous conditions using a halogen carrier catalyst such as aluminium chloride (AlCl₃)

• Nitration of Benzene

Electrophillic Substitution

Conditions: Reflux at 50°C or below with a mixture of conc. HNO₃ and conc. H₂SO_4.

• Nitrobenzene >>> Phenylamine

Reduction

Conditions: Heat with Tin (Sn) and conc. HCL, then add NaOH to release the phenylamine. The mixture is separted by steam distillation and purified by solvent extraction with epoxyethene

• CH₄ Free Radical

Photochlorination

• Alkene >>> Alkane

Catalytic Hydrogenation

Conditions: Nickel catalyst

• Bromoethane >>> Ethene

Elimination of HBr

Conditions: NaOH/Ethanol and Reflux/Heat 

• Halogenoalkane >>> Alcohol

Hydrolysis/ Nucleophillic Substitution

Conditions: Warm with aqueous NaOH

• Ethene >>> Ethanol

Industrial Preparation

Conditions: Steam and ethene are passed over a catalyst of phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) at a temperature of 300°C and at 60 – 70 atm pressure.

• Halogenoalkane >>> Amine

Nucleophillic Substitution

Conditions: Heat with ethanolic ammonia in sealed tube immersed in boiling water

• Halogenoalkanes >>> Nitriles

Nucleophillic Substitution

Conditions: Heat with ethanolic KCN