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Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction template
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The amine adds to methyl acrylate, the enolate attacks benzaldehyde, a proton transfer and E1cB elimination release the catalyst and the allylic alcohol.
Mechanism step by step
An amine catalyst couples an acrylate to an aldehyde at the α-carbon
- Conjugate addition – The amine (DABCO, drawn as Me₃N) adds
- Aldol step – The enolate attacks the aldehyde
- Proton transfer – The α-H moves to the alkoxide
- Elimination (E1cB) – C=C re-forms; the catalyst leaves
Key points
- Atom-economical: every atom of both partners ends up in the product.
- Catalysts: DABCO, DMAP or phosphines (PBu₃).
- Slow (days); polar protic additives speed the proton transfer.
- Products are dense with functional groups: alkene, ester and alcohol.
Drawn with 157 atoms, 15 arrows, 6 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.
Sources
- Morita, Suzuki & Hirose, Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 1968, 41, 2815 Original paper
- Basavaiah, Rao & Reddy, Chem. Rev. 2003, 103, 811 Review
- Kürti & Czakó, Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis, Elsevier 2005 Textbook
- Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012 Textbook
How to use this template
- Press Edit in MolDraw. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction template free?
You can preview the Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.
Can I edit the Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction template?
Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.
Is the chemistry checked?
Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.
Which name reactions are included?
Over seventy, covering the reactions most often asked in school-leaving exams (A-level, IB, CBSE, JEE and NEET) and first-year university courses, including condensations, rearrangements, oxidations, reductions and aromatic substitutions.