How do chemists form alkoxide?

1 Answer
anor277
Oct 26, 2016

With common alcohols by the use of an alkali metal, or with less acidic alcohols, by reaction with #Bu^(n)Li#.

Explanation:

With methanol or ethanol, lithium or sodium metal will quantitively deprotonate the alcohol:

#H_3C-CH_2OH + Na rarr H_3C-CH_2O^(-)""^(+)Na + 1/2H_2(g)uarr#

It would be fairly easy (though tedious!) to purify the sodium ethoxide.

#"Butyl lithium"# will quantitatively deprotonate any alcohol:

#ROH + Bu^(n)Li rarr RO^(-)Li^+ + BuHuarr#

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