Chapter 15 Practice Exercises: Group 2

1.Write the detailed mechanism for the base catalyzed addition of an alcohol to a ketone to give a hemiacetal.

2.Explain in mechanistic terms why a hemiacetal cannot be converted to an acetal by a base catalyzed reaction with the alcohol.

3.Write the detailed mechanism for the hydrolysis of an acetal to a ketone in acidic aqueous solution. Explain, mechanistically why this hydrolysis cannot be accomplished by a base catalyzed mechanism.