Intra- and Intermolecular Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Cross-Electrophile Coupling Reactions of Benzylic Esters with...

The pinacol and McMurry reactions involve the reductive coupling of ketones or aldehydes. Similarly, the bimolecular reductive coupling of two ester molecules in the presence of sodium metal in an aprotic solvent yields an α-hydroxy ketone product. The α-hydroxy ketone is also called acyloin, so the reaction is referred to as ‘acyloin condensation.’

Simple aryl halides do not react with nucleophiles. However, nucleophilic aromatic substitutions can be forced under certain conditions, such as high temperatures or strong bases. The mechanism of substitution under such conditions involves the highly unstable and reactive benzyne intermediate. Benzyne contains equivalent carbon centers at both ends of the triple bond, each of which is equally susceptible to nucleophilic attack. This 50–50 distribution of products is...

Friedel–Crafts reactions were developed in 1877 by the French chemist Charles Friedel and the American chemist James Crafts. Friedel–Crafts alkylation refers to the replacement of an aromatic proton with an alkyl group via electrophilic aromatic substitution. A Lewis acid catalyst such as aluminum chloride reacts with an alkyl halide to form a carbocation. The resulting carbocation then reacts with the aromatic ring and undergoes a series of electron rearrangements before giving the final...

The Friedel–Crafts acylation reactions involve the addition of an acyl group to an aromatic ring. These reactions proceed via electrophilic aromatic substitution by employing an acyl chloride and a Lewis acid catalyst such as aluminum chloride to form aryl ketone.

Birch reduction uses solvated electrons as reducing agents. The reaction converts benzene to 1,4-cyclohexadiene. The reaction proceeds by the transfer of a single electron to the ring to form a benzene radical anion. This anion is highly basic—it abstracts a proton from the alcohol to form a cyclohexadienyl radical. Another single electron transfer gives the cyclohexadienyl anion. A proton transfer from the alcohol forms 1,4-cyclohexadiene. Since this reduction occurs via radical anion...

The nitration of benzene is an example of an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction. It involves the formation of a very powerful electrophile, the nitronium ion, which is linear in shape. The reaction occurs through the interaction of two strong acids, sulfuric and nitric acid.