Kinetic Analysis of Ester Hydrolysis

A two-week multi-step experiment that introduces students to mechanistic organic chemistry and substituent effects. A simple preparation of differentially substituted para-nitrophenyl benzoates is followed by ester hydrolysis with monitoring by UV-Vis spectroscopy to provide rate data for the reaction.

Grignard Reaction - Synthesis of Substituted Benzoic Acids

A convenient preparation of substituted benzoic acids from Grignard additions to solid carbon dioxide. Students create a library of carboxylic acids by using differentially substituted, commercially available aryl bromides, which can be used as the starting materials for a multistep synthesis. This is a modification and improvement of a very popular undergraduate organic chemistry experiment.