Question

1. Why is it important that the number of moles of 2-naphthoxide ion is the same as the number of moles of iodoethane used for the synthesis of nerolin?

Answer 1

Ans. The synthesis of nerolin from 2-naphthol and iodoethane is an example of williamson ether synthesis reaction. It is an example of SN2 reaction where bond formation and bond cleavage occurs simultaneously. It is a bimolecular reaction and both the reactants are important for this reaction to take place. 2-naphthoxide is the reactive intermediate which is formed from 2-naphthol after deprotonation by a strong base. 2-naphthoxide then attacks iodoethane resulting in the cleavage of iodo group and attachment of 2-naphthoxide moiety.

The equal number of moles of 2-naphthoxide and iodoethane ensure no or minimum amount of reactants left after completion of reaction. This helps in getting more nerolin ( product) formation and lesser side-products formation.