Past exam of the chemistry B course of the University of Cambridge 2025 Paper 1 B2 a i Solution 2026-10-20
Pyrrolidine and 2-methylcyclohexanone first form an enamine, through carbonyl addition, carbinolamine formation, dehydration to an iminium ion, and alpha deprotonation. The less hindered enamine carbon is on the side opposite the methyl-bearing alpha carbon. It attacks the terminal beta carbon of methyl vinyl ketone, while the conjugated system shifts to oxygen. Protonation gives an alkylated iminium species; aqueous acid then hydrolyses it back to the ketone.
The result is a Michael addition product: the previously unsubstituted alpha carbon bears . In drawing the arrows, start the new C–C bond at the enamine carbon, not at nitrogen. The iminium bond is restored during addition and removed by hydrolysis. The sequence is an enamine-mediated conjugate addition, rather than direct addition to the methyl vinyl ketone carbonyl.