What is the major product when 2-bromobutane is treated with KOH in ethanol?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the major product when 2-bromobutane is treated with KOH in ethanol?
But-1-ene
But-2-ene
Butane
No reaction
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the major product when 2-bromobutane is treated with KOH in ethanol?
Step 1: Identify the starting compound, which is 2-bromobutane. It has a bromine atom attached to the second carbon of a four-carbon chain.
Step 2: Understand that KOH (potassium hydroxide) in ethanol is a strong base that can promote elimination reactions.
Step 3: Recognize that the elimination reaction will remove the bromine atom and a hydrogen atom from adjacent carbons, forming a double bond.
Step 4: Determine the possible products. In this case, the elimination can lead to two possible alkenes: But-1-ene and But-2-ene.
Step 5: Analyze the stability of the double bonds. But-2-ene has a more stable double bond compared to But-1-ene because it is more substituted (the double bond is between two carbons that each have more alkyl groups attached).
Step 6: Conclude that the major product of the reaction is But-2-ene due to its greater stability.
