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Wurtz–Fittig reaction template
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Sodium reduces bromobenzene to phenylsodium (through the phenyl radical); the phenyl anion displaces bromide from bromomethane to give toluene.
Mechanism step by step
An aryl halide and an alkyl halide with sodium in dry ether give an alkylbenzene
- Electron transfer – Na gives one electron; Br⁻ leaves and a phenyl radical forms
- Phenylsodium – A second Na reduces the radical to C₆H₅⁻ Na⁺
- C–C bond (SN2) – The phenyl anion displaces Br⁻ from CH₃Br
Key points
- Shown: the organosodium (ionic) pathway; a radical pathway (Ar• + R• → Ar–R) is also given in textbooks.
- The alkyl halide is the electrophile: SN2 cannot happen at the sp² C–Br of bromobenzene.
- Side products: ethane (Wurtz) and biphenyl (Fittig); they are separated by distillation.
- Useful for alkylbenzenes such as toluene and ethylbenzene.
Drawn with 65 atoms, 10 arrows, 7 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.
Sources
How to use this template
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Wurtz–Fittig reaction template free?
You can preview the Wurtz–Fittig 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 Wurtz–Fittig 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.