Cadmium carbon—hydrogen bonds

Another reaction in which the cleavage of a carbon-hydrogen bond is important is the bromination of ketones. In the bromination of ethyl acetoacetate and 2-carboethoxycyclopentanone, it was shown that multivalent cations are catalysts. In the latter reaction, cupric, nickelous, lanthanum, zinc, plumbous, manganous, cadmium, magnesium, and calcium ions were effective (45). One can interpret the effect of the metal ion in terms of its catalysis of the proton transfer from the ester to a base, whether the reaction is carried out in dilute hydrochloric acid solution (acid-catalyzed bromination) or in acetate buffer (base-catalyzed bromination). 

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