ERIC Number: EJ1182219
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jun
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Isobutylene Dimerization: A Discovery-Based Exploration of Mechanism and Regioselectivity by NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling
Schuster, Mariah L.; Peterson, Karl P.; Stoffregen, Stacey A.
Journal of Chemical Education, v95 n6 p1040-1044 Jun 2018
This two-period undergraduate laboratory experiment involves the synthesis of a mixture of isomeric unknowns, isolation of the mixture by means of distillation, and characterization of the two products primarily by NMR spectroscopy (1D and 2D) supported with IR spectroscopy and GC-MS techniques. Subsequent calculation and examination of the relative energies of the products and of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the products' common cationic intermediate provide a means of understanding the unique regioselectivity of the reaction. The combination of spectroscopic, spectrometric, and molecular modeling data obtained by students allows them not only to identify the products and propose a reasonable stepwise mechanism for the reaction, but also to rationalize why the non-Zaitsev product predominates.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, College Science, Undergraduate Study, Science Laboratories, Laboratory Experiments, Chemistry, Spectroscopy, Computation, Molecular Structure, Scientific Concepts, Inquiry, Science Experiments
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DUE0736504; DUE1039925
Author Affiliations: N/A