Natriumalkoksideja

Natriumalkoksideja are chemical compounds with the general formula RO⁻Na⁺, where R represents an alkyl or aryl group and Na⁺ is the sodium cation. These compounds are the sodium salts of alcohols. They are typically formed by reacting an alcohol with sodium metal or sodium hydride. The reaction with sodium metal produces hydrogen gas as a byproduct, while the reaction with sodium hydride produces only sodium alkoxide and hydrogen gas.

These substances are strong bases, significantly stronger than their corresponding alcohols. This strong basicity makes them useful in organic synthesis, particularly in reactions where a strong, non-nucleophilic base is required. They are commonly employed in deprotonation reactions, such as the formation of enolates from ketones and esters, which are crucial intermediates in many carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions like the Claisen condensation and the Dieckmann condensation. Sodium alkoxides can also participate in nucleophilic substitution reactions, though their basicity often favors elimination reactions under certain conditions.

Common examples of natriumalkoxideja include sodium methoxide (CH₃O⁻Na⁺), derived from methanol, and sodium ethoxide (C₂H₅O⁻Na⁺), derived from ethanol. These are often handled as solutions in their parent alcohol or as solid powders. They are sensitive to moisture and carbon dioxide in the air, which can lead to their decomposition into the parent alcohol and sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate, respectively. Due to their corrosive nature and reactivity, they must be handled with appropriate safety precautions.