BRAINCAKEGrignard Reagents
A Grignard reagent is an organomagnesium compound with the general formula RMgX, where R is an alkyl or aryl group and X is a halogen (usually Br or I). Examples are methylmagnesium iodide, CH3MgI, and ethylmagnesium bromide, CH3CH2MgBr. They are named after Victor Grignard, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering them.
The key feature is the carbon-magnesium bond. Magnesium is much less electronegative than carbon, so the bond is polar with the carbon atom carrying a partial negative charge:
Rδ−-Mgδ+X
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More in Organic Synthesis
- Preparing Grignard Reagents
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- Recrystallisation
- Melting and Boiling Point Determination
All 11 lessons in Organic Synthesis · All Edexcel A-level Chemistry topics