Question

The wittig reaction involves coupling between a phosphonium ylide and a carbonyl-containing molecule. if a chemist wants to use the wittig reaction to synthesize 2-methyl-2-pentene, which reactants should be used?

Answer 1

George Wittig was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1979. The crown of his work is the discovery of the alkene synthesis from carbonyl compounds and phosphorus ylides. In his honor, this reaction was later called the Wittig reaction.Wittig found that phosphoric ylides attack the carbonyl group in aldehydes and ketones, creating alkenes, as a result of the double bond between ylide and carbonyl carbon.

For a synthesis of 2-methyl-2-pentene over Wittig reaction as phosphonium ylide we will use triphenyl(propylidene)phosphorane and as carbonyl-containing molecule a propan-2-one (reaction is shown in the picture below).