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Multiple Choice
Provide the major product after each step for the following reaction.
A
B
C
D
Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the starting material as a carboxylic acid with a ketone group, specifically 2-oxopropanoic acid.
The first step involves the reaction with Br2 and PBr3. This is a Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky (HVZ) reaction, which brominates the alpha position of the carboxylic acid. The PBr3 converts the carboxylic acid to an acyl bromide, which facilitates the alpha bromination.
After bromination, water is used to hydrolyze the acyl bromide back to the carboxylic acid, but with a bromine atom at the alpha position.
In the second step, the alpha-bromo acid reacts with NH3 (ammonia). This is a nucleophilic substitution reaction where the bromine is replaced by an amino group, resulting in an alpha-amino acid.
The final product is an alpha-amino acid, specifically 2-aminopropanoic acid, which is also known as alanine.