Important Organic Name Reactions for NEET Chemistry
1. Hydrocarbons & Halides
- Wurtz Reaction: Alkyl halides react with sodium in dry ether to form symmetrical alkanes: $2RX + 2Na \xrightarrow{\text{dry ether}} R-R + 2NaX$
- Finkelstein Reaction: Alkyl halides with NaI in acetone to produce alkyl iodides ($R-X + NaI \rightarrow R-I + NaX$).
- Swarts Reaction: Synthesis of alkyl fluorides using metallic fluorides ($AgF, Hg_2F_2, CoF_2$).
2. Carbonyl Compounds
- Aldol Condensation: Carbonyls with at least one $\alpha$-hydrogen react in dilute alkali to give $\beta$-hydroxy aldehydes.
- Cannizzaro Reaction: Aldehydes with no $\alpha$-hydrogen undergo self-redox in conc. NaOH (e.g., Formaldehyde $\rightarrow$ Methanol + Sodium Formate).
- Clemmensen Reduction: Aldehydes/Ketones to Alkanes using $Zn-Hg / \text{conc. HCl}$.
- Wolff-Kishner Reduction: Carbonyls to Alkanes using $NH_2NH_2 / KOH$ in ethylene glycol.