Resumen de A Grignard-like Organic Reaction in Water
Gary W. Breton, Christine A. Hughey
The addition of a Grignard reagent to a carbonyl-containing compound to form an alcohol is an important reaction to demonstrate in organic chemistry laboratory courses. However, the reaction presents several practical problems for the lab instructor including the need for anhydrous solvents (e.g., ether), dry glassware, and the occasional problem of slow reaction initiation. We have scaled, and tested, a known Grignard-like reaction between allyl bromide and benzaldehyde mediated by zinc metal in aqueous media. The procedure retains the desirable features of the traditional Grignard reaction, while eliminating some of the commonly encountered difficulties. Thus, addition of allyl bromide (1.2 eq) to benzaldehyde and zinc in a two-phase mixture of THF and saturated aqueous NH4Cl afforded addition product 1-phenyl-3-buten-1-ol in 70-85% yields.
