Decarboxylation
Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives · Chemistry
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Convert CH₃CH₂COOH to CH₃CH₃. Which method? Step 1: Decarboxylation: CH₃CH₂COONa + soda lime (Δ) → CH₃CH₃ + Na₂CO₃. Step 2: One carbon lost as CO₂ — ethane from propanoate. Step 3: Alternative: Kolbe of propanoate gives butane (R–R coupling), not ethane! Step 4: For RH (one carbon down), soda-lime decarboxylation is the method.