Organic Chemistry- Analyzing Organic Reactions Flashcards
In an acid-base reaction, what happens?
An acid and base react, resulting in the formation of the conjugagate base of the acid and the conjugate acid of the base.
The acid base reaction procees as long as what?
The reactants are more reactive, or stronger, than the products that they form
The lewis acid/base defintion concerns itself with what?
Transfer of electrons in the formation of coordinate covalent bands.
The bronsted-lowry definition of acid/base concerns itself with what?
Proton transfer
What is a Lewis acid?
An electron acceptor in the formation of a covalent bond
Lewis acids tend to be _____ and have ____
Electrophiles
They have vacant p-orbitals into which they can accept an electron pair, or are positively polarized atoms.
What is a Lewis base?
An electron donor in the formation of covalent bonds
Lewis bases tend to be _____ and have _____.
Nucleophiles.
They have a lone pair of electrons that can be donated, and are often anions carrying a negative charge.
When Lewis acids and bases interact, they form what?
Coordinate covalent bonds
What are coordinate covalent bonds?
Both electrons in the bond came from the same starting atom (the Lewis base)
What is the Bronsted-Lowry definition of an acid and base?
An acid is a species that can donate a proton (H+)
A base is a species that can a ccept a proton
Water is ______ which means it has the ability to what?
Amphhoteric
The ability to act as either Bronsted-Lowry acids or bases
Water can only act like a base in _____, and can only act like an acid in _______.
Act as a base in acidic solutions
And acid in basic solutions
What are other examples of amphoteric molecules?
Al(OH)3
HCO3-
HSO4-
What is the acid dissociation constant?
Ka, measures the strength of an acid in solution
What equation is used to determine the acid dissocation constant of acid HA
HA H+ + A-
Ka = [H+][A-]/[HA]
How do you find the pKa of an acid HA?
pKa = -logKa
More acidic molecules will have _______ pKa, more basic molecules will have a __________ pKa
Smaller (or negative) pKa
Larger (positive) pKa
Acids with a pKa below -2 are considered what?
Strong acids, which alwmost always dissociates completely in aqueaous solution
Weak organic acids often have pKa values between _____ and _____pKa
-2 and 20
What is the pKa of Alkane?
-50
What is the pKa of alkene?
-43
What is the pKa of hydrogen?
42
What is the pKa of amine?
-35
What is the pKa of alkyne?
25
What is the pKa of Ester?
25
What is the pKa of ketone/aldehyde?
20-24
What is the pKa of alcohol?
17
What is the pKa of water?
16
What is the pKa of carboxylic acid?
4
What is the pKa of hydronium ion?
-1.7
Bond strength _____ down a periodic table?
Decreases
Acidity _____ down a periodic table?
increases
The more electronegative an atom, the higher _______.
The Acidity
When electronegativity and bond strength oppose each other; to determine acidity, which takes precedence?
Low bond strength takes precedence
What are alpha-hydrogens?
Hydrogens connected to the alpha-carbon
What are alpha-carbons?
A carbon adjacent to the carbonyl
Why are the alpha-hydrogens in a carbonyl compound easily lost?
Because the enol form of carbonyl-containing carbonions is stabilizd by resonance, these are acidic hydrogens that are easily lost.
What are functional groups that act as acids?
Alcohols, aldehydes, ketones (at the alpha-carbon) Carboxylic acids Most carboxylic acid derivatives.
The functional groups, that arc as acids, are easier to target with what? Why?
Basic (or nucleophilic reactants) because they readily accept a lone pair
What functional groups act as bases?
Amines and Amides
Amines and Amides will be seen in what bonds?
Peptide bonds.
The nitrogen atom of an amine can form coordinate covalent bonds by donating a lone pair to a Lewis acid
What are the two groups of reactions in organic chemistry?
Oxidation-Reduction
Nucleophile-electrophile
What is important to the reactions of alcohols and carbonyl-containing compounds?
Nucleophiles
electrophiles
Leaving groups
What is the definition of nucleophiles?
Nucleus-loving species with either lone pairs or pi bonds that can form new bonds to electrophiles.
What is the distinction between nucleophiles and bases?
Nucleophile strength is based on relative rates of reaction with a common electrophile– and therefore a kinetic property. Base strength is related to the equilibirum postion of a reaction– and therefore a thermodynamic property.
What are some common examples of nucleophiles?
Anions
pi bonds
Atoms with lone pairs
On test day, what should you look for to identify nucleophiles?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen (CHON) with a minus sign or lone pair to identify them.
As long as the nucleophilic atom is the same, the more basic the nucleophile, the more ________.
Reactive it is
Comparing atoms in the same row of the periodic talbe, the more _______ the more _______.
The more basic
The more Reactive
Is the reactivity of a nucleophile the same down a column as a row on the periodic table?
No
What are the 4 factors that determine nucleophilicity?
Charge
Electronegativity
Steric hinderance
Solvent
Nucleophilicity increase with what?
Increasing electron density (more negative charge)
Decreasing electronegativity
Less bulky molecules
Non protic solvents
Nucleophilicity decreeases with what?
Decreasing electron density
Increasing electronegativity
Bulky molecules
Protic solvents by protonating the nucleophile or through hydrogen bonding
In polar protic solvents, nucleophiliciy increases _______ the periodic table.
Down the periodic table
In polar aprotic solvents, nucleophilicity increases ____________ the periodic table.
Up
What are common protic solvents?
Carboxylic acid
Ammonia/Amines
Water/alcohol
What are common aprotic solvents?
Dimethylformamide (DMF)
Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)
Acetone
What are good examples of the effect of solvent on nucleophilicity?
The halogens
In protic solvents, halogens nucleophilicity decreases in what order?
I- > Br- > Cl- > F-
In protic solvents, why do halogen’s nucleophilicity decrease in the order I- > Br- > Cl- > F- ?
The protons in solution will be attracted to the nucleophile. F- is the conjugate base of HF, a weak acid. As such, it will form bonds with the protons in solution and be less able to access the electrophile to react. I-, on the other hand, is the conjugate base of HI, a strong acid. As such, it is less affected by the protons in solution and can react with the electrophile.
In aprotic solvents, halogen’s nucleophilicity will decrease in what order?
F- > Br- > Cl- > I-
In aprotic solvents, why do halogen’s nucleophilicty decrease in the order F- > Br- > Cl- > I- ?
There are no protons to get in the way of the attacking nucleophile. In aprotic solvents, nucleophilicty relates directly to basicity.
What don’t you want to use for nucleophilic /electrophilic reactions? Why?
Nonpolar solvents because we need our nucleophile to dissolve. Charged molecules are polar by nature, polar solvent is required to dissolved the nucleophile as well as because like dissolves like.
What are examples of strong nucleophiles?
HO- RO- CN- N3- NH3 RCO2-
What are examples of weak or very weak nucleophiles?
H2O
ROH
RCOOH