What alkene would you start with if you wanted to synthesize pentane?
1 Answer
Jan 9, 2015
You would use either pent-1-ene or pent-2-ene.
You want a 5-carbon pentane, so you start with a 5-carbon alkene.
The possibilities are pent-1-ene, CH₃CH₂CH₂CH=CH₂, and pent-2-ene. CH₃CH₂CH=CHCH₃.
You react either of these with hydrogen and a nickel catalyst.
The equations are
CH₃CH₂CH₂CH=CH₂ + H₂ → CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃
and
CH₃CH₂CH=CHCH₃ + H₂ → CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃
