Sandmeyer’s Reaction - Benzene diazonium chloride is converted to chlorobenzene, bromobenzene,

cyanobenzene on treatment with CuCl/HCl, CuBr/HBr and CuCN/KCN, respectively.

Finkelstein Reaction - Chloroalkanes or bromoalkanes are converted into corresponding iodoalkanes by

treating with sodium iodide dissolved in acetone.

Wurtz Reaction - Alkyl halides react with metallic sodium in the presence of dry ether to form alkanes. This
reaction is used for the preparation of higher alkanes.

Wurtz–Fittig Reaction - Aryl halides when treated with alkyl halide and sodium in dry ether give alkylbenzenes.

Fittig’s Reaction - In this reaction two molecules of haloarene combine with metallic sodium in the presence
of dry ether to give diphenyl or biphenyl.
Friedel–Crafts Alkylation - Benzene and other aromatic compounds react with alkyl halides in the presence of
anhydrous AlCl3 to form alkyl benzene.

Dow’s Process - When chlorobenzene is treated with an aqueous solution of NaOH at 623 K, 300 atm pressure
sodium phenoxide is formed which on acidification gives phenol.

Hunsdiecker’s Reaction - Bromoalkanes are obtained by this method by refluxing silver salts of fatty acids with
Br2 in CCl4.

Note - This method can be employed to decrease the number of carbon atoms.
Kolbe’s reaction - When sodium phenoxide is heated with CO2 at 400 K under a pressure of 4 –7 atm, the
resulting product on acidification yields salicylic acid.

Reimer–Tiemann reaction - Treatment of phenol with chloroform in the presence of sodium hydroxide
followed by hydrolysis of resulting product gives o-hydroxybenzaldehyde (salicylaldehyde) as a major product.
Williamson synthesis - It consists of reacting an alkyl halide with sodium alkoxide or sodium phenoxide to form
ether.

Rosenmund Reduction - Acid chloride are converted to corresponding aldehydes by catalytic reduction. The
reaction is carried out by passing H2 gas through a hot solution of acid chloride in the presence of Pd deposited
over BaSO4 (partially poisoned with sulphur or quinoline).

Stephen reaction - Nitriles are reduced to corresponding imines with SnCl2 in the presence of hydrochloric
acid, which on hydrolysis give corresponding aldehyde.

Etard reaction - Chromyl chloride oxidises toluene to chromium complex which on hydrolysis gives
benzaldehyde.
Gatterman–Koch reaction - When benzene or its derivative is treated with carbon monoxide and hydrogen
chloride in the presence of anhydrous AlCl3 and CuCl, it gives benzaldehyde or substituted benzaldehyde.

Friedel–Crafts alkylation - Benzene and other aromatic compounds react with alkyl halides in the presence of
anhydrous AlCl3 to form alkyl benzenes.

Friedel–Crafts acylation - Benzene and other aromatic compounds react with acylchlorides or acid anhydrides
in the presence of anhyd. AlCl3 to form aromatic ketone.

Clemmensen reduction - The carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones is reduced to CH 2 group on treatment
with zinc amalgam and concentrated hydrochloric acid.

Wolff–Kishner reduction - The carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones is reduced to —CH2 group on
treatment with hydrazine followed by heating with potassium or sodium hydroxide in a high boiling solvent
such as ethylene glycol.
Aldol condensation - Two molecules of aldehydes or ketones containing at least one a-hydrogen atom on
treatment with dilute alkali undergo condensation to form b-hydroxy aldehydes (aldol) or b-hydroxy ketones
(Ketol).

Cross aldol condensation - When aldol condensation is carried out between two different aldehydes and/or
ketones, it is called cross aldol condensation.

Cannizzaro reaction - Aldehydes which do not have an a-hydrogen, undergo self oxidation and reduction
(disproportionation) reaction on treatment with concentrated alkali. In this reaction, one molecule of the
aldehyde is reduced to alcohol while another is oxidised to carboxylic acid salt.
Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky reaction - Carboxylic acids having an a-hydrogen are halogenated at the α-position on
treatment with chlorine, or bromine in the presence of red phosphorus to give a-halocarboxylic acids.

Gabriel phthalimide synthesis - This reaction is used for the preparation of aliphatic primary amines. In this
reaction, phthalimide is first of all treated with ethanolic KOH to form potassium phthalimide. Potassium
phthalimide on treatment with alkyl halide gives N-alkyl phthalimide, which on hydrolysis with dilute hydrochloric
acid gives a primary amine as the product.

Hoffmann bromamide reaction - When a primary acid amide is heated with an aqueous or ethanolic solution of
NaOH or KOH and bromine (i.e., NaOBr or KOBr), it gives a primary amine with one carbon atom less.

Sandmeyer’s reaction - The Cl– , Br– and CN– nucleophiles can easily be introduced in the benzene in the presence
of Cu (I) ion. This reaction is called Sandmeyer’s reaction.
Gatterman’s reaction - Chlorine or bromine can be introduced in benzene ring by treating the diazonium salt
solution with corresponding halogen acid in the presence of copper powder.

Carbylamine reaction (Isocyanide test) - Aliphatic and aromatic primary amines when heated with chloroform
and alcoholic solution of KOH give isocyanides (carbylamines) which have extremely unpleasant smell.