Question

Alkyl halide is converted to alkane:

• A. Wurtz Reaction
• B. Birch reaction
• C. Sabatier-Senderens reaction
• D. Grignard reaction

Hint:

Wurtz Reaction = Alkyl halide + Na (dry ether) → Alkane. Useful for synthesizing symmetrical alkanes in organic chemistry.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
We need to pick the reaction that takes an alkyl halide as the starting material and gives a simple alkane as the product.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
\[ 2R\text{-}X + 2Na \xrightarrow{\text{dry ether}} R\text{-}R + 2NaX \]
This coupling, where sodium removes the halogen from two alkyl halide molecules and joins the two carbon fragments, is called the Wurtz reaction.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Sodium first reacts with one molecule of R-X to form an organosodium species, R-Na, releasing NaX.
This reactive R-Na species then attacks a second molecule of R-X, forming a new carbon-carbon bond and releasing a second NaX.
The net result is a symmetrical alkane containing twice as many carbons as the original alkyl halide.
The Birch reaction needs an aromatic starting material, the Sabatier-Senderens reaction needs an alkene or alkyne, and the Grignard reaction ends at an alcohol, so none of these match a direct alkyl halide to alkane conversion.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The Wurtz reaction converts an alkyl halide into an alkane through this sodium-mediated coupling.