The reaction of metallic hydroxides on secondary butyl bromide

Abstract

The alkyl halides are among the most important of the synthetic reagents of organic chemistry, due to the ease with which they enter into chemical reaction with many other substances. The chemical properties of this group of compounds have therefore been extensively studied. Most of this work has been qualitative in nature, though in recent years considerable attention has been given to quantitative measurements of their reactivity. Conant, Kirner, and Hussey[superscript 1] studied a variety of halogen compounds, measuring the rates of replacement of certain halogens by iodine, using potassium iodide or sodium iodid in acetone solution. Toward this reagent, the primary halide proved to be the most reactive, and the tertiary the least reactive. This particular reaction was selected because it gave the same type of prodcut with a large variety of halogen compounds and was realtively free from side reactions. Slator[superscript 2] measured the rate of reaction between organic halides and sodium thiosulphate in water and in mixtures of alcohol and water and obtained results which compared favorably with those of Conant.