Contact Information
Aqueous Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons Preparation Of A Sunscreen Analog
Author Contact: adicks@chem.utoronto.ca
Summary
This experiment features the rapid and straightforward preparation of a sunscreen analog by a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction in water. Performed at the mid-undergraduate level, students use environmentally benign potassium carbonate as a base in an aqueous medium to synthesize and purify cinnamate esters. This strategy introduces a significant reduction in reaction time compared to previous pedagogical experiments, facilitates recognition of the role water plays as a solvent for organic reactions and provides a springboard for discussion of other green chemistry principles.
Summary prepared July 2008 by Andrew P. Dicks, Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto.
Source
Cheung, L.; Lin, R. J.; McIntee, J. W.; Dicks, A. P. Chem. Educator [Online], Online 2005, 10, pp 300-302.
Category Descriptors
- Chemistry Concepts
- Aldehydes/Ketones
- Aqueous Solution Chemistry
- Carbonyl Chemistry
- Esters
- Stereochemistry
- Laboratory Techniques
- Assembly of Reaction Apparatus
- IR Spectroscopy
- Melting Points and Melting Ranges
- Microscale Lab
- NMR Spectroscopy
- Recrystallization
- UV-Vis Spectroscopy
- Green Chemistry Principles
- Design Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
- Use Safer Solvents/Reaction Conditions
- Chemistry Subdiscipline
- Organic Chemistry
- Target Audience
- Colleges/Universities
- Source
- Journal Articles
