Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/paper-1/b1/b/i/solution
Past exam of the chemistry B course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 B1 b i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Let denote the 2,5-dimethoxyphenyl group. A is the doubly C-alkylated beta-ketoesterThe central carbon has no hydrogen after the second step. The alkene, ester and tert-butyl ether remain intact.
carbonate reversibly removes a proton from the methylene group between the two carbonyl groups. The resulting resonance-stabilized enolate attacks the primary iodoethyl carbon of the aryl-containing reagent by an displacement, releasing iodide. The monoalkylated intermediate still has one proton at the same activated carbon. A second deprotonation followed by attack on the primary bromide introduces the but-3-en-1-yl group.
The beta-dicarbonyl position is much more acidic than the methylene group next to the ketone and ether at the other end, explaining the alkylation site. Counting the retained carbon skeleton gives , including the two carbonyl groups and one terminal alkene. The second panel of the original product drawing specifies this connectivity.
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