Wittig Reaction Experiment Part 1, Prelab

This organic chemistry lab video covers a Wittig reaction experiment. Benzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride and 9-anthraldehyde react in the presence of sodium hydroxide to form trans-9-styrylanthracene. This is the first video in the series and focuses on providing background on the Wittig reaction including its mechanism, which involves phosphorous ylide and oxaphosphetane intermediates. The atom economy of the reaction is assessed. Additionally, the calculation of moles of sodium hydroxide contained in a given volume of 50% aqueous sodium hydroxide is discussed.