How can the following reactions be used to prepared alkanes?
Wurtz reaction
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Solution
The Wurtz reaction is a very useful reaction in the fields of organic chemistry and organometallic chemistry for the formation of alkanes. In this reaction, two different alkyl halides are coupled to yield a longer alkane chain with the help of sodium and dry ether solution.
The mechanism of this reaction involves free radicals, allowing for the possibility of side reactions that lead to the formation of alkenes as the product. A reaction related to the Wurtz Reaction in which aryl halides are used instead of alkyl halides is often called the Wurtz-Fittig reaction and is a very important named reaction in organic chemistry.