Triphosgene-amine base promoted chlorination of unactivated aliphatic alcohols

α-Halogenation of aldehydes and ketones is a reaction involving the substitution of α hydrogens with halogens in the presence of a base.  The reaction begins with the abstraction of  α hydrogen by the base to produce a nucleophilic enolate ion. This intermediate undergoes a subsequent nucleophilic substitution with the halogen to produce a monohalogenated carbonyl compound. If the starting substrate has more than one α hydrogen, it is difficult to stop the reaction at the stage of...

This lesson delves into the conversion of alcohols to corresponding alkyl halides and the mechanism of action for different reagents. Typically, the hydroxyl group is first protonated to convert it to a stable leaving group. Consequently, based on the starting alcohol, the mechanism undergoes either of the nucleophilic substitution routes, SN1 or SN2. Tertiary alkyl halides are made using the two-step SN1 mechanism that occurs via a carbocation intermediate, which is stabilized by...

Typically, when alkenes react with halogens at low temperatures, an addition reaction occurs. However, upon increasing the temperature or under reaction conditions that form radicals, providing a low but steady concentration of halogen radicals, allylic substitution reaction is favored. This is because allylic hydrogens are very reactive as the formed intermediate is resonance stabilized. For example, when propene is treated with chlorine in the gas phase at 400 °C, it undergoes allylic...

Electrophilic addition of hydrogen halides, HX (X = Cl, Br or I) to alkenes forms alkyl halides as per Markovnikov's rule, where the hydrogen gets added to the less substituted carbon of the double bond. Hydrohalogenation of alkynes takes place in a similar manner, with the first addition of HX forming a vinyl halide and the second giving a geminal dihalide.

An alkene, such as propene, reacts with bromine in the presence of water to yield a halohydrin. Halohydrins contain a halogen and a hydroxyl group attached to adjacent carbons. When the halogen is bromine, it is called a bromohydrin, while a chlorohydrin has chlorine as the halogen.

Direct alkylation is not a suitable method for synthesizing amines because it produces polyalkylated products. Gabriel synthesis is the most preferred method to exclusively make primary amines. The method uses phthalimide, which contains a protected form of nitrogen that participates in alkylation only once to predominantly give primary amines.
Strong bases like NaOH or KOH deprotonate the phthalimide to form the corresponding anion, which acts as a nucleophile. Further, the anion attacks an...