Electrophilic Addition reaction;

Bromination of Alkenes
Electrophilic addition reaction
• Alkenes or olefins are unsaturated
hydrocarbons, the unsaturation
comes from the presence of a
double bond or a triple bond.

Mechanism
• The most common type of reaction for
alkenes is electrophilic addition reaction, the
mechanism for such a reaction involves adding
groups to the double bond, starting with an
electrophile

• This type of reaction represents a gateway

for a variety of new compounds and functional
groups.
Bromination ….
• The reaction means adding two bromine atoms to the double bond, the product is a
dibromo alkane. This reaction falls under the electrophilic addition reaction. And the
mechanism involves anti addition of the bromine atoms

• The source of the bromine is called a brominating agent. The classical reagent used is
Bromine (Br2) in chloroform or dichloromethane ( a suitable solvent). This reagent is
dangerous and it’s easy to inhale it’s fumes, in some cases other brominating agents
are used like pyridinium dibromide or pyridinium tri bromide, although safer than
bromine but still corrosive.
procedure
• Rinse a clean 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask with acetone to remove traces of water. To
• this Erlenmeyer flask, add 40 mL of glacial acetic acid and 4.0 g of trans-stilbene.
Add
• 25 mL of a 1 M solution of elemental bromine in CH2Cl2 (dichloromethane, DCM)
• incrementally, adding a few mL at a time and swirling gently between additions. Heat
the
• flask in a steam bath with occasional swirling for 5 – 10 minutes. The orange bromine
• color may persist, faintly. Allow the flask to cool to room temperature at which time
solid
• should form. Vacuum filter (Buchner funnel with suction) the solid and wash with 20
mL
• of ice-cold methanol.
or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axCewb73f4c&t=35s