Types of Organic Reactions: A Comprehensive Overview

by Yuvi K - December 17, 2023

Organic Reactions: A Comprehensive Overview

Organic reactions are key players in chemical synthesis, and understanding their fundamentals is essential for any chemist. In organic chemistry, a reaction is a process in which atoms rearrange in order to form different products, or to transform different substrates into new products. This article outlines the different types of organic reactions, as well as their characteristics and common substrates.

Addition Reactions

An addition reaction (jaisepratyogitashuddhi kriya जैसेप्रत्योगिता शुद्धि क्रिया) is one in which two components combine together to form a single, new product. These reactions usually involve the addition of a functional group or atom to a molecular entity, resulting in a new product with double or triple bonds, such as alkynes or alkenes. Examples of addition reactions include:

Hydrohalogenation (Vishuddhikaranchapan विशुद्धि करना छपान): This involves the addition of a halogen to an alkene or alkyne. This is an important reaction for the synthesis of organic molecules.
Hydration (Pauniyfluid पौनियफ्लूइड): This is the process of adding water to a double or triple bond, resulting in an alcohol.
Hydrogenation (Hidrod shuddhikaran हाइड्रोज़ शुद्धिकरण): This is the process of adding hydrogen to an alkene or alkyne, resulting in an alkane.

Substitution Reactions

A substitution reaction (sabandhitapaanaa सबंधित पदान) is the process in which a functional group replaces another functional group on a molecule. This is done by either displacement or nucleophilic attack. Examples of substitution reactions include the following:

Nucleophilic substitution (anuuleefil parivartana अनुलेपिल परिवर्तन): This is a reaction between a nucleophile, or an electron rich species, and an electrophile, or an electron deficient species. The result is a substitution of the leaving group with the nucleophile.
Electrophilic substitution (iliktruufil parivartana इलेक्ट्रूफ़िल परिवर्तन): This is a reaction between an electron rich species and an electron deficient species, such as an alkyl halide. The result is a substitution of the electrophile with the electron rich species.
Elimination reactions (Upashokharshan उपाशोढ़ शक्र्षण): This is the process in which a double or triple bond is formed by the removal of a hydrogen atom or a halogen from two adjacent atoms on a molecule.

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

An oxidation-reduction reaction (oksijan-kam kararshan kriya ओक्सिडेशन-कमकरण क्रिया) is a reaction in which one species is oxidized, and the other is reduced. These reactions involve the transfer of electrons and usually involve hydrogen or oxygen atoms. Common oxidation-reduction reactions include the following:

Combustion (jwaangan जवान्गन): This is the reaction of an organic compound with oxygen, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
Hydrolysis (paani katakrsya पानी कटाक्षय): This is the process of breaking a covalent bond by the addition of a water molecule, resulting in either the formation of two new molecules or the modification of an existing molecule.
Oxidation (oksijan karan ऑक्सिजन करन): This is the removal of electrons from a molecule, usually leading to the formation of more stable molecules.
Reduction (kam kararashan कम कररन): This is the addition of electrons to a molecule, resulting in the formation of a more stable molecule.

Other Types of Organic Reactions

Other types of organic reactions include:

Hydrolysis (paani katakrsya पानी कटाक्षय): This is a reaction in which a covalent bond is broken by the addition of a water molecule.
Condensation reactions (uutpattikriya उत्पत्ति क्रिया): This is a reaction in which two molecules combine to form a new product.
Esterification reactions (Estraadhikaran एस्टरिफ़िकेशन): This is the reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol to form an ester.
Amination (Aminaatrakan अमिनाटरकन): This is the reaction of an amine with an alkyl halide to form an amide.

Conclusion

Organic reactions are key players in the synthesis of organic molecules. This article provides an overview of the different types of organic reactions, including addition reactions, substitution reactions, oxidation-reduction reactions, and other types of reactions. Understanding the fundamentals of organic reactions is essential for any chemist.