PBr3 and SOCl2
PBr3 and SOCl2: Reagents For Converting Alcohols To Good Leaving Groups Alcohols can be converted into alkyl halides with phosphorus tribromide (PBr3) or thionyl chloride
Read moreOptical Purity and Enantiomeric Excess
All About Optical Purity and Enantiomeric Excess What is a racemic mixture? What is “optically active”, “optically inactive”, and “optically pure”. What do the terms,
Read moreMy Recent Absence, Explained With 9 Molecules
Hey folks – it’s been awhile! Let me explain. It all started very innocently. In mid November I started noticing that a little bump I’d
Read moreElimination Reactions of Alcohols
All About Elimination Reactions of Alcohols (With Acid) The hydroxyl group of alcohols is normally a poor leaving group. However, when treated with strong acid,
Read moreElimination of Alcohols To Alkenes With POCl3
POCl3 For The Elimination Of Alcohols To Alkenes Phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3) is a useful reagent for cleanly performing elimination reactions on alcohols. POCl3 converts the
Read moreAlcohol Oxidation: “Strong” and “Weak” Oxidants
Simplifying Alcohol Oxidation: “Strong” Oxidants and “Weak” Oxidants Here’s what we’ll talk about today: reagents for the oxidation of alcohols. For the purposes of introductory
Read moreDemystifying The Mechanisms of Alcohol Oxidations
Alcohol Oxidation Mechanisms, Demystified • The mechanisms for the oxidation of alcohols generally involve putting a good leaving group on oxygen, followed by deprotonation of an
Read moreOn Cats, Part 6: Stereocenters
Let’s recap what we’ve talked about so far. Sawhorse cat and Freaky Sawhorse cat are constitutional isocats. But Freaky Sawhorse Cat has a mirror image of
Read moreMeet the (Most Important) Functional Groups
All About Functional Groups Functional groups are specific groupings of atoms within molecules that have their own characteristic properties, regardless of the other atoms present
Read moreProtecting Groups For Alcohols
Alcohol Protecting Groups There are many times when it’s useful to mask the reactivity of alcohols since their relatively high acidity interferes with strongly basic
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