Neohexene Explained

Neohexene is the hydrocarbon compound with the chemical formula . It is a colorless liquid, with properties similar to other hexenes. It is a precursor to commercial synthetic musk perfumes.

Preparation and reactions

Neohexene is prepared by ethenolysis of diisobutene, an example of a metathesis reaction:[1]

(CH3)3C-CH=C(CH3)2 + → (CH3)3C-CH= + (CH3)2C=

It is a building block to synthetic musks by its reaction with p-cymene. It is also used in the industrial preparation of terbinafine.

In the study of C-H activation, neohexene is often used as a hydrogen acceptor.[2]

References

  1. Encyclopedia: Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Lionel. Delaude. Alfred F.. Noels. 2005. Metathesis. 10.1002/0471238961.metanoel.a01. Weinheim. Wiley-VCH.
  2. Liu. Fuchen. Pak. Esther B.. Singh. Bharat. Jensen. Craig M.. Goldman. Alan S.. Dehydrogenation of n-Alkanes Catalyzed by Iridium "Pincer" Complexes: Regioselective Formation of α-Olefins. J. Am. Chem. Soc.. 1999. 121. 16. 4086-4087. 10.1021/JA983460P.