Organic Chemistry: Reagents and Concepts

Methanesulfonyl chloride is a compound containing a sulfonyl chloride used to make methanesulfonates and to generate sulfene. It is highly toxic, moisture sensitive, corrosive and a lachrymator. It should be stored in a dry location, preferably in a desiccator.

The Wohl-Ziegler reaction is a chemical reaction that involves the allylic or benzylic bromination of hydrocarbons using an N-bromoimide and a radical initiator.

Ninhydrin (2,2-Dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione) is a chemical used to detect ammonia or primary and secondary amines. Ninhydrin is most commonly used to detect fingerprints, as the terminal amines of lysine residues in peptides and proteins sloughed off in fingerprints react with ninhydrin.

Axial chirality is a special case of chirality in which a molecule does not possess a stereogenic center (the most common form of chirality in organic compounds) but an axis of chirality - an axis about which a set of substituents is held in a spatial arrangement that is not superposable on its mirror image. Axial chirality is most commonly observed in atropisomeric biaryl compounds wherein the rotation about the aryl-aryl bond is restricted.

Methyl cyanoformate is the organic compound with the formula CH₃OC(O)CN. This colourless liquid is used as a reagent in organic synthesis as a source of the methoxycarbonyl group. It is also an active ingredient in the pesticide product Zyklon A. It is also known as Mander's reagent.

Polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) is a polymer with the general structure -(CH3(H)Si-O)-. It is used in organic chemistry as a mild and stable reducing agent, easily transferring hydrides to metal centers.

It is considered as a safer replacement for hydrazoic acid in many reactions. It will however over time hydrolyze to hydrogen azide and therefore it must be stored free of moisture. It is used in the Oseltamivir total synthesis.

The Tebbe reagent is the organometallic compound. It is used in the methylenation of carbonyl compounds, which means that it converts organic compounds containing R₂C=O group into the related R₂C=CH₂ derivative.

The Gauche effect characterizes any gauche rotamer which is actually more stable than the anti rotamer.This effect is present in 1,2-difluoroethane (H₂FCCFH₂) for which the gauche conformation is more stable by 2.4 to 3.4 kJ/mole in the gas phase. Another example is 1,2-dimethoxyethane. In stereochemistry, gauche interactions hinder bond rotation.

Dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) is a dioxirane derived from acetone. The dioxirane is a reagent used in organic synthesis.The most common use of DMDO is the oxidation of alkenes to epoxides.

1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene or DBU, is a chemical compound, which belongs to the class of amidine compounds. It is used in organic synthesis as a catalyst, complexing ligand and a strong (pKa = 24.34 in acetonitrile) non-nucleophilic base. It is used as a curing agent for epoxy and as a protecting agent for the synthesis of cephalosporin.

Tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride or TBAF is a quaternary ammonium salt .It is usually encountered in the latter form as a source of organic-soluble fluoride ion to remove silyl ether protecting groups. It is also used as a phase transfer catalyst and as a mild base.

Tetramethylguanidine is a strong amine base with a higher pKa than typical amines, therefore it can be used where a higher pKa is needed and as a substitute for DBU, DBN. It is also used as a catalyst in the production of polyurethane.

Triethyl orthoacetate is the ethyl orthoester of acetic acid. It is also known as 1,1,1-triethoxyethane, and is an oily liquid with a colour that is anywhere from yellow to colourless. It is used in organic synthesis for the introduction of the acetate group to an alcohol. It is also used in the Johnson-Claisen rearrangement.

Chlorosulfuric acid is the inorganic compound with the formula HSO₃Cl. It is also known as chlorosulfonic acid. It is a distillable, colourless liquid .It is a hygroscopic and a powerful lachrymator.