Question
What happens when 2-Bromobutane is heated with alcoholic KOH. Account for the product formed.
Solution
When 2-Bromobutane is heated with alcoholic KOH, but-2-ene is the main product.
Formation of but-2-ene as the major product can be explained by Saytzeff's rule which states that if an alkyl halide undergoes elimination in two different ways, then the more highly substituted alkene i.e. having lesser number of hydrogen atoms on the doubly bonded carbon atoms, is the major product of dehydrohalogenation reaction.
Formation of but-2-ene as the major product can be explained by Saytzeff's rule which states that if an alkyl halide undergoes elimination in two different ways, then the more highly substituted alkene i.e. having lesser number of hydrogen atoms on the doubly bonded carbon atoms, is the major product of dehydrohalogenation reaction.
