What occurs in a #"Wurtz coupling"# reaction?

1 Answer
Oct 22, 2017

The coupling of two organic radicals.....

Explanation:

And typically an alkyl halide is heated in the presence of alkali metal....

#2RCH_2X+2Na stackrel(Delta)rarrRH_2C-CH_2R+2NaX#

And presumably this occurs on the back of a hydrocarbyl radical...i.e.

#RCH_2X+dotNa stackrel(Delta)rarrRdotCH_2+NaX#

....and the radicals couple together.....

Now of course this reaction is quite indiscriminate, but where it works (and your text will have examples where it does work), it works (says he, stating the bleeding obvious!).