Question

What is the Wacker process? Explain with examples.

Answer 1

Wacker process:

• The process of oxidation of terminal alkenes to aldehydes and ketones by using Palladium and Copper compounds as catalysts is called the Wacker process.
• Palladium ($\mathrm{II}$) chloride and Copper ($\mathrm{II}$) chloride are used in this process along with Oxygen (${\mathrm{O}}_2$) and water.

Examples of Wacker process:

• The reaction are as follows:

$\underset{\left(\mathrm{Ethene}\right)}{{\mathrm{CH}}_2={\mathrm{CH}}_2}\underset{{\mathrm{O}}_2,{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}}{\overset{{\mathrm{PdCl}}_2,{\mathrm{CuCl}}_2}{\to }}\underset{\left(\mathrm{Ethanal}\right)}{{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{CHO}}$

• $\underset{(\mathrm{Prop}-1-\mathrm{ene})}{{\mathrm{CH}}_3-\mathrm{CH}={\mathrm{CH}}_2}\underset{{\mathrm{O}}_2,{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}}{\overset{{\mathrm{PdCl}}_2,{\mathrm{CuCl}}_2}{\to }}\underset{(\mathrm{Propan}-2-\mathrm{one})}{{\mathrm{CH}}_3{\mathrm{COCH}}_3}$