What would #"sodium ethyl"# give upon reaction with #"tert-butyl chloride?"#

1 Answer
Jan 19, 2017

Probably #"isobutylene........."#

Explanation:

For a start, #"sodium ethyl"# would be a rather hot (and inconvenient) reagent to use. #"Sodium ethoxide"# in ethanol (formed by adding sodium metal to ethanol), would be a much better choice of reactant.

This base will probably react via an elimination mechanism rather than by substitution, so................:

#H_3CH_2CO^(-)Na^+ + Br-C(CH_3)_3rarrH_2C=C(CH_3)_2 + NaBr(s)darr + H_3C-CH_2OH#