Electron Pair Sharing Reactions

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Notas de aula

Nucleophiles

  • A nucleophile is an electron-rich species that can donate a pair of electrons.
  • 'Nucleophile' means 'nucleus/positive charge loving' — nucleophiles are attracted to positively charged species.
  • Neutral nucleophiles include H₂O, NH₃, ROH (alcohols) and RNH₂ (amines).
  • Charged nucleophiles include OH⁻, Cl⁻, CN⁻ and carbanions (R⁻).
  • OH⁻ is a stronger nucleophile than H₂O because it carries a full negative charge, while the oxygen in H₂O has only a partial negative charge.
  • This makes OH⁻ more reactive and more likely to donate its lone pair quickly.

Nucleophilic Substitution

  • Nucleophilic substitution is a reaction in which a nucleophile attacks a carbon atom carrying a partial positive charge.
  • An atom with a partial negative charge is replaced by the nucleophile.
  • Halogenoalkanes undergo nucleophilic substitution because the C–X bond is polar — the carbon is δ⁺ and the halogen is δ⁻.
  • The bond that forms and the bond that breaks must both involve the carbon atom bonded to the leaving group.
  • In the hydrolysis of a halogenoalkane, the nucleophile is OH⁻ and an aqueous solution of NaOH or KOH with ethanol is used.
  • The reaction is very slow at room temperature, so the mixture is warmed.
  • Example: CH₃CH₂Br + OH⁻ → CH₃CH₂OH + Br⁻ (bromoethane → ethanol), with Br⁻ as the leaving group.
  • Halogens make good leaving groups because they form relatively weak bonds with carbon and their high electronegativity pulls electron density away from carbon.

Rate of Nucleophilic Substitution

  • The rate depends on the halogen: the stronger the C–X bond, the slower the reaction.
  • Bond enthalpy trend: C–F > C–Cl > C–Br > C–I.
  • Fluoroalkanes are unreactive, while iodoalkanes react very quickly.
  • When the nucleophile is neutral (e.g. H₂O), the initial product is positive and then deprotonates, losing H⁺ to form a neutral product.
  • Example: CH₃CH₂Cl + H₂O → CH₃CH₂OH₂⁺ → CH₃CH₂OH + H⁺.

Heterolytic Fission

  • Heterolytic fission is the breaking of a covalent bond so that both bonding electrons are taken by the more electronegative atom.
  • This forms a negative ion (which gains both electrons) and a positive ion (left with none).
  • In mechanism diagrams, a curly double-headed arrow shows the movement of a pair of electrons from the bond to one atom.
  • For example, when an H–Cl bond breaks heterolytically, the electrons move to chlorine forming Cl⁻, leaving H⁺.
  • The negative ion is electron-rich, can donate a pair of electrons and is a nucleophile.
  • The positive ion is electron-deficient, can accept a pair of electrons and is an electrophile.

Nucleophile–Electrophile Interaction

  • A nucleophile can donate a pair of electrons to an electrophile, forming a coordinate covalent bond.
  • This is the opposite direction to heterolytic bond breaking and is key to many organic mechanisms, such as nucleophilic substitution.
  • A nucleophile 'loves' a positive charge and an electrophile 'loves' a negative charge.

Electrophiles

  • An electrophile is a species that forms a covalent bond when it reacts with a nucleophile by accepting electrons.
  • Electrophiles are electron-deficient and typically have a full or partial positive charge.
  • Neutral electrophiles include HX (hydrogen halides), X₂ (halogens), H₂O and RX (halogenoalkanes).
  • Positively charged electrophiles include H⁺, NO₂⁺ (nitronium), NO⁺ (nitrosonium) and carbocations (R⁺).

Electrophilic Addition Reactions

  • Electrophilic addition is the reaction of an electrophile with a carbon–carbon double bond, C=C.
  • The C=C double bond is an area of high electron density, making it attractive to electrophiles.
  • The C=C bond breaks, forming a single C–C bond and a new bond from each carbon to the electrophile.
  • Electrophilic addition includes addition of steam (H₂O) to form alcohols, hydrogen halides (HX) to form halogenoalkanes, and halogens (X₂) to form dihalogenoalkanes.
  • Alkenes are unsaturated and the atoms around the C=C bond are planar with a bond angle of 120°.
  • The C=C bond consists of one σ-bond and a weaker π-bond; the π-bond can be broken and replaced by stronger σ-bonds.
  • This allows alkenes to undergo addition reactions, which are not possible for saturated alkanes, making alkenes more reactive than alkanes.

Addition across a carbon–carbon double bond

Addition across a carbon–carbon double bond

Addition of Water (Hydration)

  • Hydration occurs when alkenes are treated with steam at 300 °C and 60 atmospheres pressure.
  • An acid catalyst such as sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) or phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) is used.
  • Water is added across the double bond, converting the alkene into an alcohol.
  • Example: CH₂=CH₂ + H₂O → CH₃CH₂OH (ethene → ethanol).
  • The reaction proceeds via an intermediate in which H⁺ and HSO₄⁻ ions are added across the double bond.
  • The intermediate is quickly hydrolysed by water, regenerating the sulfuric acid catalyst.
  • This industrial route to ethanol is faster and more efficient than fermentation.

Addition of Halogens (Halogenation)

  • Alkenes react with halogens in an electrophilic addition called halogenation.
  • The π-bond breaks and is replaced by two new C–X bonds, forming a dihalogenoalkane.
  • This reaction occurs readily at room temperature.
  • Bromine water is an orange/yellow solution of Br₂(aq) and is used to test for unsaturation.
  • If a C=C bond is present, an addition reaction occurs and the coloured solution becomes decolourised.
  • If no C=C bond is present, there is no reaction and the solution remains orange/yellow.
  • The bromine water test is the standard test for unsaturation in alkenes.

Addition of Hydrogen Halides (Hydrohalogenation)

  • Alkenes react with hydrogen halides (e.g. HCl, HBr) to form halogenoalkanes.
  • This is an electrophilic addition reaction that occurs rapidly at room temperature.
  • All hydrogen halides react with alkenes in this way.
  • The reaction is fastest in the order HI > HBr > HCl because weaker H–X bonds break more easily.

Slides

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Questões de prática

Prévia grátis — 8 de 61 perguntas. Cadastre-se para ver todas.
  1. 1.Which of these compounds would act as a nucleophile?

    Easy
    • AC6H12
    • BH+
    • COH-
    • DAl
  2. 2.Ethene reacts with steam in the presence of sulfuric acid: C2H4 + H2O → CH3CH2OH. What type of reaction is this?

    Easy
    • Aacid / base
    • Baddition
    • Chydrolysis
    • Dsubstitution
  3. 3.Which reaction is an example of nucleophilic substitution?

    Easy
    • AC6H6 + Br2 → C6H5Br + HBr
    • BCH2=CH2 + HBr → CH3CH2Br
    • CC3H7Br + H2O → C3H7OH + HBr
    • DC2H6 + Br2 → C2H5Br + HBr
  4. 4.Bromomethane, CH3Br, can be made by reacting methanol with hydrogen bromide: CH3OH + HBr → CH3Br + H2O. What type of reaction is this?

    Easy
    • Acondensation
    • Belectrophilic substitution
    • Cfree radical substitution
    • Dnucleophilic substitution
  5. 5.What reagents and conditions are needed to convert but-2-ene into butane?

    Easy
    • AConcentrated sulfuric acid, steam, 300 °C
    • BHydrogen gas, Ni catalyst, 150 °C
    • CAcidified potassium dichromate, heating under reflux
    • DHydrogen bromide, room temperature
  6. 6.Which reaction(s) can alkenes undergo? I. Addition II. Hydration III. Reduction

    Medium
    • AI and II only
    • BI and III only
    • CII and III only
    • DI, II and III
  7. 7.In the hydrolysis of bromoethane by aqueous sodium hydroxide, what is the nature of the attacking group and of the leaving group?

    Medium
    • Aattacking group: electrophile; leaving group: electrophile
    • Battacking group: electrophile; leaving group: nucleophile
    • Cattacking group: nucleophile; leaving group: electrophile
    • Dattacking group: nucleophile; leaving group: nucleophile
  8. 8.The synthesis of ethyl butanoate can be carried out in three steps: C4H9Br → C4H9OH → C3H7COOH → C3H7COOC2H5. What is the correct classification of the steps I, II and III?

    Medium
    • AI substitution; II oxidation; III condensation
    • BI addition; II substitution; III condensation
    • CI oxidation; II substitution; III condensation
    • DI substitution; II oxidation; III substitution

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