Reformatsky Reaction


Reformatsky reaction

[‚rif·ər′mat·skē rē‚ak·shən] (organic chemistry) A condensation-type reaction between ketones and α-bromoaliphatic acids in the presence of zinc or magnesium, such as R2CO + BrCH2·COOR + Zn → (ZnO·HBr) + R2C(OH)CH2COOR.

Reformatsky Reaction

 

the synthesis of the esters of β-hydroxy carboxylic acids (II) through the interaction of aldehydes or ketones with the esters of α-halo carboxylic acids (I) in the presence of metallic zinc. The X in these reactions represents a halogen, and the R an organic radical:

The reaction was discovered by S. N. Reformatskii (S. N. Reformatsky) in 1887 and is today used in organic chemistry for the preparation of certain substances.