The Chloroform Reaction: Removal of Aldehydes and Ketones through Cl2 Excess/OH-

Cl2 excess/ OH- will remove _______

two OH’s syn

Cl2 excess/ OH- will remove aldehydes and ketones.

In presence of an excess of chlorine (Cl2) and a base (OH-), the aldehyde or ketone undergoes oxidation to form carboxylic acids. The reaction is called chloroform reaction.

The general equation is:

RCHO + 3Cl2 + 4OH- → RCOOH + 3Cl- + 3H2O

Where R is an alkyl or aryl group.

The reaction starts with the formation of a chlorohydrin intermediate by the addition of one chlorine molecule and one hydroxyl ion to the carbonyl group of the aldehyde or ketone:

RCHO + Cl2 + OH- → RCH(OH)Cl + Cl-

The chlorohydrin intermediate then undergoes further reaction with excess chlorine and base to form a carboxylic acid:

RCH(OH)Cl + Cl2 + 2OH- → RCOOH + 3Cl- + 2H2O

This reaction is used as a qualitative test for the presence of aldehydes and ketones in an organic compound.

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