Table of contents

1. A Review of General Chemistry5h 5m
2. Molecular Representations1h 14m
3. Acids and Bases2h 46m
4. Alkanes and Cycloalkanes4h 17m
5. Chirality3h 39m
6. Thermodynamics and Kinetics1h 22m
7. Substitution Reactions1h 48m
8. Elimination Reactions2h 30m
9. Alkenes and Alkynes2h 9m
10. Addition Reactions3h 19m
11. Radical Reactions1h 58m
12. Alcohols, Ethers, Epoxides and Thiols2h 42m
13. Alcohols and Carbonyl Compounds2h 17m
14. Synthetic Techniques1h 26m
15. Analytical Techniques:IR, NMR, Mass Spect7h 3m
16. Conjugated Systems6h 13m
17. Ultraviolet Spectroscopy51m
18. Aromaticity2h 34m
19. Reactions of Aromatics: EAS and Beyond5h 1m
20. Phenols55m
21. Aldehydes and Ketones: Nucleophilic Addition4h 56m
22. Carboxylic Acid Derivatives: NAS2h 51m
23. The Chemistry of Thioesters, Phophate Ester and Phosphate Anhydrides1h 10m
24. Enolate Chemistry: Reactions at the Alpha-Carbon1h 53m
25. Condensation Chemistry2h 9m
26. Amines1h 43m
27. Heterocycles2h 0m
28. Carbohydrates5h 53m
29. Amino Acids4h 20m
30. Peptides and Proteins2h 42m
31. Catalysis in Organic Reactions1h 30m
32. Lipids 2h 50m
33. The Organic Chemistry of Metabolic Pathways2h 52m
34. Nucleic Acids1h 32m
35. Transition Metals6h 14m
36. Synthetic Polymers1h 49m

12. Alcohols, Ethers, Epoxides and Thiols

Making Ethers - Acid-Catalyzed Alkoxylation

Organic Chemistry

12. Alcohols, Ethers, Epoxides and Thiols

Making Ethers - Acid-Catalyzed Alkoxylation

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3:15 minutes

Problem 76e,f

Textbook Question

e. What is the electrophile in the second step?
f. What is the nucleophile in the second step?

Verified step by step guidance

Step 1: Understand the context of the reaction. The terms 'electrophile' and 'nucleophile' refer to the species involved in the reaction. An electrophile is an electron-deficient species that seeks electrons, while a nucleophile is an electron-rich species that donates electrons.

Step 2: Identify the second step of the reaction mechanism. Review the reaction sequence provided in the problem or mechanism to determine what occurs in the second step. Look for bond formation or bond-breaking events.

Step 3: Determine the electrophile in the second step. The electrophile is typically the species that accepts a pair of electrons during the reaction. Look for a positively charged species, a partial positive charge, or a molecule with an electron-deficient atom.

Step 4: Determine the nucleophile in the second step. The nucleophile is the species that donates a pair of electrons to form a bond. Look for a negatively charged species, a lone pair of electrons, or a π-bond that can act as an electron source.

Step 5: Confirm your findings by analyzing the electron flow in the second step. Use curved arrows to track the movement of electrons from the nucleophile to the electrophile, ensuring that the roles of each species are consistent with their definitions.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electrophiles

Electrophiles are species that accept electron pairs from nucleophiles during chemical reactions. They are typically positively charged or neutral molecules with an electron-deficient atom, making them attractive to electron-rich species. Understanding the role of electrophiles is crucial in predicting reaction mechanisms and outcomes in organic chemistry.

Nucleophiles

Nucleophiles are electron-rich species that donate an electron pair to electrophiles in a chemical reaction. They can be negatively charged ions or neutral molecules with lone pairs of electrons. Recognizing nucleophiles is essential for understanding how reactions proceed, particularly in substitution and addition reactions.

Reaction Mechanisms

Reaction mechanisms describe the step-by-step process by which reactants transform into products, detailing the roles of electrophiles and nucleophiles. Understanding these mechanisms helps predict the products of reactions and the conditions under which they occur. Analyzing each step allows chemists to manipulate reactions for desired outcomes.

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Related Practice

Textbook Question

What is the major product of each of the following reactions?

Textbook Question

How could the following compound be prepared using an alkene as one of the starting materials?

Textbook Question

Propose a mechanism for the following reaction (remember to use curved arrows to show the movement of electrons from the nucleophile to the electrophile):

Textbook Question

c. What is the electrophile in the first step?

d. What is the nucleophile in the first step?

Textbook Question

Ethers can be synthesized by substituting ethanol for water in the acid-catalyzed hydration reaction. Suggest an arrow-pushing mechanism which accounts for the formation of the ethyl ether under these conditions.

Textbook Question

Show how you would accomplish the following transformations. Some of these examples require more than one step.

(a) 2-methylpropene → 2,2-dimethyloxirane

(b) 1-phenylethanol → 2-phenyloxirane

Textbook Question

Draw the mechanism for the following reaction if it involves specific-acid catalysis.

Textbook Question

Draw the mechanism if it involves general-acid catalysis.

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e. What is the electrophile in the second step? f. What is the nucleophile in the second step?

Key Concepts

Electrophiles

Nucleophiles

Reaction Mechanisms

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e. What is the electrophile in the second step?
f. What is the nucleophile in the second step?