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What would be the product if dimethyl fumarate (trans-meo2cch=chco2me) was heated in the presence of 3-sulfolene? would the product be optically active?

User Laurie
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The image provided shows the full reaction and the products of the reaction.

By heating 3-sulfolene, the compound breaks down into SO₂ gas and butadiene. The diene then reacts with the fumarate which is a dienophiles and these two species then undergo a Diels-Alder reaction. The diene reacts with the alkene portion of the fumarate and forms a new 6-membered cyclohexene ring. Since we have trans-fumarate, that leads to two potential products. We form a stereoisomer with stereocenters (1S, 2S) and another with stereocenters (1R, 2R). These two isomers formed are enantiomers. Therefore, the overall product is a racemic mixture of the two enantiomers.

While each individual enantiomer is optically active, the overall product would be racemic and therefore, not optically active.
What would be the product if dimethyl fumarate (trans-meo2cch=chco2me) was heated-example-1
User Sebastian Hajdus
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