Unimolecular elimination alcohol dehydration

Like the reaction of terr-butyl alcohol with hydrogen chloride step 2, in which tert-butyloxonium ion dissociates to (CH3)3C and water, is rate-deter-mining. Because the rate-determining step is unimolecular-, the overall dehydration process is refened to as a unimolecular elimination and given the symbol El. 

Secondary and tertiary alcohols dehydrate by the unimolecular elimination pathway (El), discussed in Sections 7-6 and 9-2. Protonation of the weakly basic hydroxy oxygen forms an alkyloxonium ion, now containing water as a good potential leaving group. Loss of H2O supphes the respective secondary or tertiary carbocations and deprotonation furnishes the alkene. The reaction is subject to all the side reactions of which carbocations are capable, particularly hydrogen and alkyl shifts (Section 9-3). 

Dehydration of alcohols (Sections 5 9-5 13) Dehydra tion requires an acid catalyst the order of reactivity of alcohols IS tertiary > secondary > primary Elimi nation is regioselective and proceeds in the direction that produces the most highly substituted double bond When stereoisomeric alkenes are possible the more stable one is formed in greater amounts An El (elimination unimolecular) mechanism via a carbo cation intermediate is followed with secondary and tertiary alcohols Primary alcohols react by an E2 (elimination bimolecular) mechanism Sometimes elimination is accompanied by rearrangement... 

The least expensive method for synthesizing simple symmetrical ethers is the acid-catalyzed bimolecular condensation (joining of two molecules, often with loss of a small molecule like water), discussed in Section 11-10B. Unimolecular dehydration (to give an alkene) competes with bimolecular condensation. To form an ether, the alcohol must have an unhindered primary alkyl group, and the temperature must not be allowed to rise too high. If the alcohol is hindered or the temperature is too high, the delicate balance between substitution and elimination shifts in favor of elimination, and very little ether is formed. Bimolecular condensation is used in industry to make symmetrical ethers from primary alcohols. Because the condensation is so limited in its scope, it finds little use in the laboratory synthesis of ethers. 

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