--- title: "Wurtz reaction Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/wurtz-reaction/ description: "Wurtz reaction template: Sodium gives an electron to bromomethane (methyl radical), a second Na turns the radical into methylsodium, and CH₃⁻ displaces…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/) › Wurtz reaction [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/)Premium # Wurtz reaction template ![Wurtz reaction template: Sodium gives an electron to bromomethane (methyl radical), a second Na turns the radical into methylsodium, and CH₃⁻ displaces bromide from another CH₃Br to give ethane.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/wurtz-reaction.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Sodium gives an electron to bromomethane (methyl radical), a second Na turns the radical into methylsodium, and CH₃⁻ displaces bromide from another CH₃Br to give ethane. ## Mechanism step by step Two alkyl halides and sodium in dry ether join into one alkane 1. **Electron transfer** – Na gives one electron; Br⁻ leaves and a methyl radical forms 2. **Organosodium** – A second Na reduces the radical to CH₃⁻ Na⁺ 3. **C–C bond (SN2)** – The carbanion displaces Br⁻ from a second CH₃Br ## Key points - Shown: the ionic (organosodium) pathway, R–X + 2 Na → R⁻Na⁺ + NaX, then R⁻ + R–X → R–R. Some books show two R• radicals pairing instead; both start with electron transfer from Na. - Gives symmetrical alkanes with an even number of carbons (2 CH₃Br → C₂H₆). Methane cannot be made. - Two different halides give a mixture (R–R, R–R′, R′–R′), so it is not used for unsymmetrical alkanes. - Ether must be dry: water would protonate R⁻ to R–H. Side products are an alkene and alkane (disproportionation), mainly with 2° and 3° halides. Drawn with 23 atoms, 10 arrows, 8 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Wurtz reaction template free? You can preview the Wurtz 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 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? 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