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+ Chemical reactions
+ Chloroform
+ Sodium hydroxide
+ Chemistry
+ Organic chemistry
Posted by
Laszlo Petruska

What happens when chloroform reacts with koH or NaOH?

Andrew Silverman  Follow

Well, likely, you will form [math]ext{dichlorocarbene}[/math]

[math]HCCl_{3} + KOH ightarrow :CCl_{2} + H_{2}O + KCl[/math]

And the carbene is a POTENT electrophile …. and will react with olefins to give a three-membered ring.

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David Shaffer  Follow

You produce potassium or sodium formate. Chloroform loses an H and a Cl yielding the highly reactive Dichlorocarbene (:CCl2) intermediate. Hydration rapidly ensues.

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