Organic Reactions Summary Sheet
Reactants
Alkanes
+ Oxygen
Products
Conditions
Complete: CO2
and water
Little bit of heat to
get it going and
plenty of oxygen
Little bit of heat to
get it going, and not
enuf O2, oxygen is
limiting reactant
UV light, hv
Incomplete: CO
and water
+ Halogen
(F2, Cl2,
Br2, I2)
haloalkane
Classification
Combustion
(also redox
reactions)
Uses /Other
Example
2 C4H10 + 13 O2  8 CO2 +10h2o
2 C4H10 + 9 O2  8 CO + 10 H2O
H
Substitution
H
H
+
H
h
Cl Cl
Cl
H
H
H
methane
chloromethane
h
CO harmful to humans, unburned
hydrocarbons produce smog
H
Cl
H
h
Cl
Cl
H
Cl
Cl
dichloromethane
Addition
Dihaloalkane
H
H
H
H
+
chloroform
H
H
Br2 dissolved in dichloromethane is used to
distinguish between alkenes and alkanes. If
reddish-brown color of Br2 disappears when
added to unknown, the unknown has alkenes in
it.
H H
+ hydrogen
Alkane
Platinum or
palladium catalyst
Addition (also
called
reduction)
H
H
H
H
PtO2/Pd
+
Hydrogenation of oil for margarine
H H
H H
H
tetrachloromethane
also: carbontetrachloride
Uses: makes starting material for
PVC and Indication of akenes
Cl Cl
Cl Cl
Cl
Cl
also: trichloromethane
Alkenes
+ halogen
(F2, Cl2,
Br2, I2)
Cl
h
Cl
H
H H
+ acid
halide (HF,
HCl, HBr,
HI)
+ water
Addition
Haloalkane
H
H
H
+ oxidizing
agent
(KMnO4 or
K2Cr2O7)
H
H
H H
Alcohol
Acid conditions
Addition
H
H
H
Alcohols
+
Carboxylic
acid
+
H
Haloalkanes are useful starting
materials for organic syntheses
H Cl
H Cl
Ester + water
Acidic solution and
heat
CH3
Condensation
For incomplete
oxidation:
Distillation in acidic
aqueous soln
+
O
commercial manufacture of ethanol
H H
H
H
O
H3C
Primary:
Aldehyde
acid
H
O H
H CH3
O
+ H3C
OH
OH
H3C
Oxidation
OH
propan-1-ol
acid, 
+
K2Cr2O7
O
CH3
acid
O
H
1-propanal
Esters are used in flavouring agents,
plasticizers, as solvents in perfume,
polyesters
Primary:
Carboxylic Acid
Secondary:
ketone
For complete
oxidation: Heat
under reflux in
acidic aqueous soln
Heat under reflux in
acidic aqueous soln
+
OH
acid
K2Cr2O7
O
OH
propanoic acid
propan-1-ol
OH
+
acid
K2Cr2O7
O
butan-2-ol
Carboxylic
acid
+ alcohol
Ester, see
above example
Amide + water
+ amine
+ base (e.g.
NaOH)
See above
Condensation
difficult to conduct since
amine (a base) and acid
neutralize each other.
Other rxns that “protect”
F.G. are required
Condensation
See above
Amide, see
above example
O
+ H3C
H3C
OH
NH2
acid, 
H3C
O
+ NaOH acid, 
H3C
Amine
+
Carboxylic
acid
See above
O
Neutralization
Organic salt and
water
butan-2-one
Condensation
See above
Distillation Apparatus
H3C
CH3
O
+ H2O
O-Na
See above
See above
Heating under reflux
condensing tube
water out
aldehyde vapor
OH
NH
condensing tube
water in
water in
boling solution
To distill you heat up the solution and collect the vapor
peptide bond formation,
polymerization reactions to make
nylons
water out
vapor condenses
and falls back
into flask
condensed
aldehyde out
boling solution
heat under reflux means you want to heat it for a long time w/o having it
evaporate
to heat under reflux you need to attached a condensing tube to your flask so
that vapors condense before they can escape