Published Online: 15 SEP 2010
Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Comprehensive Organic Name Reactions and Reagents
How to Cite
2010. Favorskii-Babayan Reaction. Comprehensive Organic Name Reactions and Reagents. 225:1032–1035.
- Published Online: 15 SEP 2010
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The base-promoted or, -catalyzed ethynylation of aldehydes and ketones to produce secondary or tertiary acetylenic alcohols or glycols using anhydrous KOH or NaOH and is generally referred to as the Favorskii-Babayan reaction or Favorskii reaction. Although it has been proposed that this reaction might involve a reaction between acetylene and the adduct from the ketone and KOH or a coupling of potassium acetylide with the carbonyl compounds, the most recent experimental results indicate that potassium hydroxide and acetylene first form a complex, rather than potassium acetylide in liquid ammonia, which then reacts with carbonyl compounds to form the acetylenic alcohols, where ammonia functions as a co-catalyst. This reaction has been applied in the preparation of acetylenic alcohols that are used for nonionic surfactants.
- tertiary acetylenic alcohols;