Question

Write a chemical equation to illustrate the following name reaction:

HVZ reaction

Answer 1

This is also known as Hell Volhard-Zelinsky reaction. Carboxylic acids having an alpha-hydrogen are halogenated at the α-position on treatment with chlorine or bromine in the presence of the small amount of red phosphorus to give in known as Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky (HVZ) reaction.

\[\begin{array}{cc}
\ce{\underset{\text{Acetic acid}}{CH3COOH}+CI2 ->[Red P]{CH_2 - COOH} + HCI}\\\
\phantom{.......}|\\
\phantom{........}\ce{\underset{Acetyl chloride}{Cl}}\\
\end{array}\]