Custom Synthesis of Low Molecular Weight Alcohols: Alfa Chemistry has long-term devoted to the development and production of Low Molecular Weight Alcohols. With years of experience, excellent chemists and advanced instruments and equipment, we have great advantages in developing and synthesizing all kinds of small molecular alcohols to meet various kinds of demands of customers.
Custom Synthesis of Low Molecular Weight Alcohols
Alfa Chemistry has long-term devoted to the development and production of Low
Molecular Weight Alcohols. With years of experience, excellent chemists and advanced
instruments and equipment, we have great advantages in developing and synthesizing all
kinds of small molecular alcohols to meet various kinds of demands of customers.
General methods of preparation of alcohols
➢ Hydration of Alkenes
Electrophilic hydration is the act of adding electrophilic hydrogen from a non-
nucleophilic strong acid (a reusable catalyst, examples of which include sulfuric and
phosphoric acid) and applying appropriate temperatures to break the alkene's double
bond. After a carbocation is formed, water bonds with the carbocation to form a 1°, 2°, or
3° alcohol on the alkane.
The basic reaction under certain temperatures (given below) is the following:
Fig. 1
Electrophilic hydration reaction
Primary Alcohol: when the temperature is less than 170℃, it mainly forms 1°alcohol
Secondary Alcohol: when the temperature is less than 100℃, it mainly forms 2°alcohol
Tertiary Alcohol: when the temperature is less than 25℃, it mainly forms 3°alcohol
➢ Hydroboration of Alkenes
Hydroboration of alkenes transforms alkenes into alcohols. It performs the net addition of
water across an alkene.
Fig. 2 Hydroboration of alkenes reaction
Note that the oxygen is always attached at the less substituted carbon (anti-
Markovnikoff). Furthermore, the stereochemistry is always syn (H and OH add to same
side of the alkene).
➢ Reaction of Organometallic Compounds with Carbonyl Compounds
The nucleophilic carbon atoms of organometallic reagents react with the electrophilic
carbon atoms of aldehydes, ketones, acyl halides, esters, and epoxides to build larger
carbon chains. In the process, an alcohol is formed. These various reaction pathways are
summarized below.
Fig. 3 Reaction of organometallic compounds with carbonyl compounds
➢ Reduction of Carbonyl Compounds with Metal Hydrides