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How does the Reimer-Tiemann reaction add an aldehyde group to a phenol ring?
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aldehyde
Alcohols may be oxidized to give aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids. The oxidation of organic compounds generally increases the number of bonds from carbon to oxygen, and it may decrease the number of bonds to hydrogen.
The Reimer-Tiemann reaction is a chemical process used to introduce a formyl group (—CHO) onto an aromatic ring, specifically converting phenols into phenolic aldehydes.1
In this reaction, the phenol is treated with chloroform in the presence of a basic solution. During the process, the formyl group is typically added to the position on the aromatic ring that is adjacent (ortho) to the hydroxyl (—OH) group. This method serves as a standard laboratory technique for the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes.1