Question

In: Chemistry

You wish to isolate the acetal from acetophenone and methanol explain why one of the following...

You wish to isolate the acetal from acetophenone and methanol explain why one of the following organic acids is the best choice to catalyze the reaction: a) p-toluenesulfonic b) trifluoroacetic acid c) hydrochloric acid?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Solution:

Acetal obtained from acetophenone and methanol is acetophenone dimethyl acetal.

The formation of acetals is acid catalyzed and reversible. The reaction is driven to the right either by the use of excess alcohol as the solvent or by removal of the water by-product, or both or by increasing the concentration of acetophenone.

Dimethyl acetals can be prepared from carbonyl compounds with excess methanol catalyzed by a Brønsted (i.e. protic) acid. Additon of H+ to carbonyl makes it more reactive with the weak nucleophile CH3OH. p-toluenesulfonic, trifluoroacetic acid , hydrochloric acid acts as H+ donor and hence are used as acid catalysts.

Note: p-Toluenesulfonic acid ( pTsOH) or tosylic acid (TsOH) is an organic acid which is a white solid and soluble in water, alcohol and other polar organic solvents and hence is widely used in organic sysnthesis.

Trifluoroacetic acid is an organofluorine compound with the chemical formula CF3COOH. It is a structural analogue of acetic acid with the three hydrogen atoms replaced by three fluorine atoms and is a colorless liquid. It is a stronger acid than acetic acid and is widely used in organic synthesis.


Related Solutions

Explain why acetal formation CAN NOT occur on basic medium.
Explain why acetal formation CAN NOT occur on basic medium.
The following reaction shows the formation of a cyclic acetal from a cyclic hemiacetal by the...
The following reaction shows the formation of a cyclic acetal from a cyclic hemiacetal by the addition of methanol and the removal of water. In this case, the oxygen shown has been tagged with oxygen-18. After the formation of the cyclic acetal, at what position would you expect to find the oxygen-18 atom? 
In an experiment to isolate the lipids from horse red blood cells, one of the steps...
In an experiment to isolate the lipids from horse red blood cells, one of the steps is too "Add 500µL of 10mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH. 7.0). Resuspend the pellet thoroughly by vortexing." What happens in this step of the lipid isolation period? (hint: the supernatant in the next centrifuge step will be red)
How would you isolate just one stereo-isomer of Emixustat?
How would you isolate just one stereo-isomer of Emixustat?
How could you isolate mRNAs from other RNAs in the cell?
How could you isolate mRNAs from other RNAs in the cell?
Thirty-minute workouts of one of the following will lead to burning the following calories. You wish...
Thirty-minute workouts of one of the following will lead to burning the following calories. You wish to test to see if there is a difference in the amount of calories burned from these three activities. Swimming Tennis Cycling 408 415 385 380 485 250 425 450 380 400 420 402 427 530 268 What is the p-value and your conclusion? p value = 0.0098 and conclude fail to reject the null the three activities are identical and tennis tends to...
Explain in detail why water molecules are polar. Your explanation can be as long as you wish.
  Explain in detail why water molecules are polar. Your explanation can be as long as you wish. Your answer must be in your own words. Your answer must include the following terms: Polar, polar covalent bonds, electronegativity, oxygen, hydrogen, partial positive, partial negartive, electrons.  
In an experiment, where we need to isolate lipids from horse red blood cells, one of...
In an experiment, where we need to isolate lipids from horse red blood cells, one of the steps is too "Add 100µL of choloform;methanol (9:1) and mix vigorously to dissolve the membrane lipids. " What happens in this step, what would happen if you added water instead of chloroform/methanol?
How would one isolate and culture Pseudomonas putida from soil sample contaminated with hydrocarbons
How would one isolate and culture Pseudomonas putida from soil sample contaminated with hydrocarbons
You isolate a new pathogenic bacteria, from the sputum of a human patient, which you hypothesize...
You isolate a new pathogenic bacteria, from the sputum of a human patient, which you hypothesize was the cause of a severe respiratory infection. How could you use Koch’s postulates to prove your hypothesis? Which postulate would not be satisfied if the organism was a human-only pathogen?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT