Question

How could you prepare 2-methylhexane from an alkyl halide and an alkyne?

a. Reacting alkyl halide with an alkyne in the presence of a catalyst
b. Combining alkyl halide and alkyne in a high-temperature environment
c. Using a reducing agent to convert alkyl halide into an alkyne
d. None of the above

Answer 1

To prepare 2-methylhexane, first an alkyne is converted to an alkyl halide through hydrohalogenation, then it undergoes hydrogenation using a platinum or palladium catalyst to get the alkane.

Step-by-step explanation:

To prepare 2-methylhexane from an alkyl halide and an alkyne, you would typically employ a two-step synthesis involving the alkyne's hydrogenation to form the corresponding alkane. First, the alkyne would undergo a hydrohalogenation reaction where a hydrogen halide is added across the triple bond to form an alkyl halide. Secondly, the alkyl halide would undergo hydrogenation in the presence of a metal catalyst such as platinum or palladium to give 2-methylhexane. This process involves adding hydrogen (H2) across the alkyne's triple bond to convert it into an alkane. The reaction conditions for hydrogenation can be quite harsh and may require high pressures of H2 gas. This method does not directly correlate with the provided options but is the common approach for converting an alkyl halide and an alkyne into an alkane.