Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Atomically Defined Templates for Epitaxial Growth of Complex Oxide Thin Films
Published on: December 4, 2014
α-Alkylation of Ketones with Secondary Alcohols Catalyzed by Well-Defined Cp*CoIII -Complexes
Priyanka Chakraborty1, Manoj Kumar Gangwar1, Balakumar Emayavaramban1
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, 208 016, India.
Abstract:
Although α-alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols by transition-metal catalysis is well-known, the same process with secondary alcohols is arduous and complicated by self-condensation. Herein a well-defined, high-valence cobalt(III)-catalyst was applied for successful α-alkylation of ketones with secondary alcohols. A wide-variety of secondary alcohols, which include cyclic, acyclic, symmetrical, and unsymmetrical compounds, was employed as alkylating agents to produce β-alkyl aryl ketones.
Related Concept Videos
α-Alkylation of Ketones via Enolate Ions
Factors Affecting α-Alkylation of Ketones: Choice of Base
The reaction involving bases like EtO− whose conjugate acid EtOH (pKa = 15.9) is stronger than the ketone (pKa = 19.2) results in an equilibrium mixture with higher ketone concentration. As a consequence,...
Acid-Catalyzed α-Halogenation of Aldehydes and Ketones
In the first step of the mechanism, the acid protonates the carbonyl oxygen resulting in a resonance-stabilized cation, which subsequently loses an α-hydrogen to form an enol tautomer. The C=C bond in an enol is highly nucleophilic because of the electron-donating nature of the –OH group. Consequently, the double bond attacks an electrophilic halogen to form a...
Conversion of Alcohols to Alkyl Halides
Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols to Alkenes
Alkynes to Aldehydes and Ketones: Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
Analogous to alkenes, alkynes also undergo acid-catalyzed hydration. While the addition of water to an alkene gives an alcohol, hydration of alkynes produces different products such as aldehydes and ketones.

