A 1,2-Wittig rearrangement is a categorization of chemical reactions in organic chemistry, and consists of a 1,2-rearrangement of an ether with an alkyllithium compound.[1] The reaction is named for Nobel Prize winning chemist Georg Wittig.[2][3]
The intermediate is an alkoxy lithium salt, and the final product an alcohol. When R" is a good leaving group and electron withdrawing group such as a cyanide (CN) group,[4] this group is eliminated and the corresponding ketone is formed.
- ^ Smith, Michael B.; March, Jerry (2006). March's Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure. pp. 1624–1625. doi:10.1002/0470084960. ISBN 9780470084960.
- ^ Georg Wittig, L. Löhmann, Ann. 550, 260 (1942)
- ^ G. Wittig, Experientia 14, 389 (1958)
- ^ Preparation of aryl benzyl ketones by [1,2]-Wittig rearrangement Alan R. Katritzky, Yuming Zhang, Sandeep K. Singh Arkivoc pp. 146–50 2002 (vii) link Archived 28 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine