What is Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction and its limitation ?


What is Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction ?


When the silver salt of carboxylic acid is treated with bromine molecule in the presence of CCl4 solution , bromo alkane or alkyl bromide is obtained . Then the reaction is known as Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction .


Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction


In Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction, the obtaining alkyl bromide  content one carbon less than the parent silver salt of carboxylic acid .

In this reaction the amount of extent  of the alkyl bromide  depends on the nature of alkyl group .
So, the order of obtaining alkyl bromide should be primary >  secondary > tertiary.

In Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction, chloro alkane may be also prepared , but the amount of extent of product ( chloro alkane ) is very much less .

Mechanism of Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction: The mechanism of the Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction are shown below,



Application of Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction .


Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction is used to prepare  mainly alkyl bromide and alkyl chloride from the silver salt of carboxylic acid . Besides, this reaction  is applied to decrease  the carbon chain .

Limitation of  Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction.


In this method alkyl iodide can’t be prepared , because  , when iodine is treated with  the silver salt of carboxylic acid , in stead of alkyl iodide , ester is the product.

 This reaction is known as Birnbaun –Simonini reaction .




Why the neopentyl chloride can’t prepared by the reaction of neopentyl  alcohol  and HCl ?


The substrate neopentyl  alcohol does not takes part in SN2 reaction mechanism  due to steric crowding of methyl groups.

Again, with HCl acid neopentyl  alcohol forms primary or 1 carbocation ,which is very  much unstable . 




So this intermediate carbocation being unstable , soon it under goes rearrangement  reaction. 

That is, by the shifting of methyl group it convert into tertiary carbocation which is very much stable than primary carbocation .

In the second step , the nucleophile  Cl attack the carbocation , resulting in the formation of 2-chloro-2-methyl butane .

 Consequentlt, neopentyl chloride can’t prepared by the reaction of neopentyl  alcohol  and HCl .







Summary : 


What is Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction ? 
Application of Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction.
Limitation of Borodine Hunsdiecker reaction. .
Why neopentyl chloride can’t prepared by the reaction of neopentyl  alcohol and HCl .



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