CHED 448 |
| Although the chemical literature is replete with methods for the synthesis of ibuprofen, there are no reports of a method that meets the common criteria for use in an introductory organic chemistry laboratory course. Most of the reported methods for making ibuprofen involve a transition metal catalyzed aryl/alkyl coupling reaction. Although we began our study by exploring this route, we abandoned it in favor of a more student friendly Grignard route. With acetophenone as the starting material in a model study, we successfully developed a suitable 2-“day” procedure for making 2-phenylpropanoic acid using NaBH4, HCl, Mg, and CO2. Our efforts to use this procedure with p-isobutylacetophenone, however, were soon met with the realization that secondary p-alkylbenzylic halides are considerably more prone to Wurtz coupling than their unsubstituted counterparts. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Organic Chemistry
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |