Thread: Basic questions (?) - Please Help

Please help me with these fundamental concepts (:

I have a few questions. Sorry if it seems a lot!!


[1] Why does water added to COX easily form CO2H, while HCl added to CO2H does not form COX ? (X being a halide)

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Does this have something to do with varying electronegativities?

[2] Can CONH2 be used as a nucleophile? Why?

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I have a vague idea, but i'm not too sure. Although N has a lone pair of electrons, maybe C=O attracts away electron density, leaving the availability of the lone pair on the N atom lower?

[3] Why can't CO2H react with phenol while COX can?

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I'm really not too sure about this one, although I do believe it's something to do about the overlapping p orbitals of the benzene ring...

[4] Why can't CO2H and CONH2 react to form amide linkage? Why only COX?

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 I think it's slightly similar to the first question..

[5] Why is there resonance in COO- anion?

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 For this, I do know that there is a C=O and a C-O bond present, but I do not know the real reason why electrons can jump between bonds?

[6] What is so different about a ketone and an aldehyde, such that their reactions are different? (Since for a ketone, it is an alkyl group while an aldehyde it is a mere H atom)

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I'm simply bewildered by this, please enlighten me.

[7] Why can only -COCH3 or -CH(CH3)OH react with I2 with NaOH (iodoform test) ?

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 I think it's something to do with I2, but i have not much of an idea.

[8] In reversible reactions like esterification, how do you maintain stability of the salt formed?

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 I know something must be done, but I don't think a catalyst works because it increases both forward and backward reactions

[9] Why does Tollen's reagent work for all aldehydes, while Kehling's reagent works for only aromatic aldehydes?

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 I have no idea.

[10] Why is it that 2,4-DNPH can only react with ketones, but not aldehydes, CO2H or COX?

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 No idea...

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I have a question for you. If you give a really good answer I may answer some of yours.

Why do you expect someone else to do your homework for you?

Welcome to the forum.

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

I have a question for you. If you give a really good answer I may answer some of yours.

Why do you expect someone else to do your homework for you?

Welcome to the forum.

Hi, these aren't my homework, but questions I pulled out of the air while researching/reading my notes. I'm in the midst of preparing for an exam..

I tried researching on Google, apparently my search tags can't nail them..

I'll be more than satisfied if you'd help me with some of them (:

A lot of these questions are very easy to answer given an attempt to understand basic organic chemistry. You don't need to google the answers, crack out an intro org chem book and go to the section on ketones and aldehydes, apply the knowledge in that chapter to the questions.

If you want to present what you think the answers to the questions are, people will be more willing to help correct any errors.

Originally Posted by i_feel_tiredsleepy

A lot of these questions are very easy to answer given an attempt to understand basic organic chemistry. You don't need to google the answers, crack out an intro org chem book and go to the section on ketones and aldehydes, apply the knowledge in that chapter to the questions.

If you want to present what you think the answers to the questions are, people will be more willing to help correct any errors.

Hi, I do not have a book on basic organic chemistry because my school condenses information required in the syllabus in notes, which compiles information from different sources of such books. Even so, I've tried flipping through the notes but to no avail...

I've edited and added things I thought about when thinking about the question, but I'm really not sure of these answers.