Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
accompanied by a potassium cation and that the final trifluoroacetoxy group is
presented as its potassium salt.
This is a two-step reaction with initial S
N
2 opening of an epoxide. The opening of the
epoxide is favored because of the strain associated with a three-membered ring.
Subsequent S
N
2 displacement of the chloride by the alkoxide resulting from epoxide
opening leads to the illustrated tetrahydrofuran derivative. The purpose of this example
is to illustrate that in many cases, organic reactions do not stop after an initial stage and
frequently advance to generate products over several mechanistic steps.
This is a direct S
N
2 displacement of a bromide anion by a phenyl anion. Please note that
the negative charge of the phenyl anion is accompanied by a magnesium bromide
complex. This class of organic salt is known as a Grignard reagent and is characterized
by the presence of magnesium and a halide such as chloride, bromide, or iodide.
