Question

Draw the curved arrow mechanism for the addition of HCN in water with NaOH to 3,4-dimethylcyclopentan-1-one to give the corresponding cyanohydrin in the fewest steps. Draw the arrows that lead to the resonance structures with full octets around each atom other than hydrogen. Draw all electrons and charges if necessary on all structures; do not show any inorganic side products or counterions. Reagents needed for each step are provided in the boxes.

Answer 1

See picture and explanation below

Step-by-step explanation:

In the attached picture you have the answer for this.

In the first step, we have an acid base reaction between HCN and NaOH. When this happens, its formed the following:

HCN + NaOH --------> CN⁻ + H₂O + Na⁺

As a second step, The CN⁻ attacks the carbonile group in the cyclopentane. This causes to open the double bond, and then, the Cyano enters the molecule.

The final step is another acid base reaction, where the oxygen substracts a hydrogen atom of the water in the medium, and then, the alcohol group is formed. With this step, the cyanohydrin is finally formed. See the mechanism below in the picture.

Hope this helps