Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/paper-1/b2/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the chemistry B course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 B2 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
For an amine-first pathway, use triethylamine as a nucleophile in a reversible conjugate addition. Its lone pair attacks C3 of the enone; electron shifts through C2 and the carbonyl give a zwitterionic enolate with a C3– bond.
The C2 nucleophilic site of that enolate attacks , installing C2–Br and releasing bromide. Removal of C2–H by base then reforms C2=C3 while the C3–N bond breaks back to neutral triethylamine. This addition–bromination–elimination sequence gives the same C2-brominated enone and regenerates the nucleophilic amine, with another base equivalent accepting the eliminated proton.
These are alternative formal sequences requested by the question, not a kinetic determination that one must dominate under unspecified conditions. In particular, the amine-first sequence does not require triethylamine to generate a high concentration of a vinylic carbanion by direct deprotonation.
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