Wurtz reaction
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- eponymous chemical reaction
- Named after
- Charles Adolphe Wurtz
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- Wurtz reaction
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Encyclopedic overview
In organic chemistry, the Wurtz reaction, named after Charles Adolphe Wurtz, is a coupling reaction in which two alkyl halides are treated with sodium metal to form a higher alkane.
2 R−X + 2 Na → R−R + 2 NaX The reaction is of little value because yields are low. Exceptions are some intramolecular versions, such as 1,2-dibromohexane + 2 Na → cyclohexene + 2 NaBr.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Wurtz reaction” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.