Author Question: Identify the chiral center in the product from this experiment. Is the product optically active? ... (Read 95 times)

MGLQZ

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 579
Identify the chiral center in the product from this experiment. Is the product optically active? Explain your answer.

Question 2

Examine the mechanism and the intermediates in the reaction to explain why the thiamine-catalyzed synthesis of benzoin is sensitive to electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents in the four position (the para position) of the benzene ring of the aldehyde. For each of the steps in the mechanism, indicate whether electrondonating or electron-withdrawing substituents stabilize the intermediate.



kristenb95

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 318
Answer to Question 1



The stereocenter has been labeled with an asterisk. None of the starting materials or the catalyst are chiral, so the product will not be optically active. There is no means of generating optical activity when there is none to begin with.

Answer to Question 2




Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question


 

Did you know?

About 60% of newborn infants in the United States are jaundiced; that is, they look yellow. Kernicterus is a form of brain damage caused by excessive jaundice. When babies begin to be affected by excessive jaundice and begin to have brain damage, they become excessively lethargic.

Did you know?

When intravenous medications are involved in adverse drug events, their harmful effects may occur more rapidly, and be more severe than errors with oral medications. This is due to the direct administration into the bloodstream.

Did you know?

GI conditions that will keep you out of the U.S. armed services include ulcers, varices, fistulas, esophagitis, gastritis, congenital abnormalities, inflammatory bowel disease, enteritis, colitis, proctitis, duodenal diverticula, malabsorption syndromes, hepatitis, cirrhosis, cysts, abscesses, pancreatitis, polyps, certain hemorrhoids, splenomegaly, hernias, recent abdominal surgery, GI bypass or stomach stapling, and artificial GI openings.

Did you know?

Stroke kills people from all ethnic backgrounds, but the people at highest risk for fatal strokes are: black men, black women, Asian men, white men, and white women.

Did you know?

A headache when you wake up in the morning is indicative of sinusitis. Other symptoms of sinusitis can include fever, weakness, tiredness, a cough that may be more severe at night, and a runny nose or nasal congestion.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library