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Multiple Choice
What would be the product of the following reaction?
A
B
C
D
Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the reactants: The reaction involves a ketone (2-butanone) and methanol (CH3OH) in the presence of an acid catalyst (H+).
Recognize the reaction type: This is an acetal formation reaction, where a ketone reacts with an alcohol in the presence of an acid to form an acetal.
Understand the mechanism: The acid catalyst protonates the carbonyl oxygen of the ketone, making the carbonyl carbon more electrophilic and susceptible to nucleophilic attack by the alcohol.
First step of the mechanism: Methanol acts as a nucleophile and attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon, leading to the formation of a hemiacetal intermediate.
Second step of the mechanism: A second molecule of methanol attacks the hemiacetal, replacing the hydroxyl group with a methoxy group, resulting in the formation of an acetal (dimethoxy compound).