Here is a list of important name reactions for Class 12 Chemistry as per the NCERT and CBSE syllabus:
Organic Chemistry Name Reactions
1. Cannizzaro Reaction
Aldehydes without an α-hydrogen atom undergo disproportionation in the presence of a base to form an alcohol and a carboxylic acid.
2. Aldol Condensation
Aldehydes or ketones with α-hydrogen react in the presence of a base to form β-hydroxy aldehydes or ketones, which can further dehydrate to form α,β-unsaturated compounds.
3. Knoevenagel Reaction
Condensation of aldehydes or ketones with compounds containing active methylene groups in the presence of a base.
4. Kolbe’s Reaction
Phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide to form salicylic acid.
5. Reimer-Tiemann Reaction
Phenol reacts with chloroform in the presence of a base to form ortho-hydroxy benzaldehyde.
6. Sandmeyer Reaction
Aromatic diazonium salts react with CuCl or CuBr to form aryl halides.
7. Finkelstein Reaction
Exchange of halogen atoms in an alkyl halide by halide ions.
8. Wurtz Reaction
Coupling of alkyl halides in the presence of sodium metal in dry ether to form alkanes.
9. Wurtz-Fittig Reaction
Mixture of an alkyl halide and an aryl halide reacts with sodium in dry ether to form alkyl-aryl compounds.
10. Friedel-Crafts Alkylation/Acylation
Alkylation or acylation of aromatic compounds in the presence of a Lewis acid like AlCl₃.
11. Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky Reaction (HVZ)
Carboxylic acids containing α-hydrogen react with halogens in the presence of phosphorus to form α-halo acids.
12. Gabriel Phthalimide Synthesis
Preparation of primary amines from phthalimide using potassium hydroxide and alkyl halides.
13. Hofmann Bromamide Reaction
Amides react with bromine and an alkali to form primary amines.
14. Rosenmund Reduction
Acid chlorides are reduced to aldehydes using hydrogen in the presence of Pd/BaSO₄.
15. Stephen Reaction
Alkyl cyanides are reduced to aldehydes using stannous chloride in the presence of hydrochloric acid.
16. Carbylamine Reaction
Primary amines react with chloroform and an alkali to form isocyanides (carbylamines).
17. Coupling Reaction
Diazonium salts react with phenols or aromatic amines to form azo compounds.
18. Hinsberg Test
Differentiation of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines using Hinsberg reagent (benzene sulfonyl chloride).
19. Perkin Reaction
Aromatic aldehydes react with anhydrides in the presence of sodium acetate to form α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids.
20. Clemmensen Reduction
Reduction of carbonyl compounds to hydrocarbons using Zn-Hg in HCl.
21. Wolf-Kishner Reduction
Reduction of carbonyl compounds to hydrocarbons using hydrazine and KOH.
Inorganic Chemistry Name Reactions
1. Borax Bead Test
A test for the presence of certain metal ions based on the color of a borax bead in a flame.
2. Brown Ring Test
A test for nitrates involving the formation of a brown ring at the junction of two solutions.
3. Tollens’ Test
Aldehydes reduce ammoniacal silver nitrate to metallic silver (silver mirror test).
4. Fehling’s Test
Aldehydes reduce Fehling’s solution to a red precipitate of cuprous oxide.
5. Iodoform Test
Compounds with a methyl ketone group react with iodine and a base to form a yellow precipitate of iodo
form.
These reactions are critical for board exams and competitive exams like NEET and JEE. Would you like detailed mechanisms for any of these reactions? You may leave comment here.