Answer :
Final answer:
The methyl ester would be acetic acid butyl ester (CH3COOCH2CH2CH2CH3), and the Grignard reagent is butylmagnesium bromide (CH3CH2CH2CH2MgBr), each reacting to form the given tertiary alcohol.
Explanation:
The student is inquiring about the reaction mechanism in which a methyl ester reacts with
Grignard reagent to form a tertiary alcohol. In this reaction, the Grignard reagent acts twice,
first performing a nucleophilic acyl substitution to form an unstable ketone, which is then attacked by the second equivalent of Grignard reagent to produce the 3° alcohol. Given the structure of the alcohol produced, (CH3CH2CH2CH2)2C(OH)CH3, we can deduce that the methyl ester must have had a carbonyl carbon with a methyl group and an oxygen substituent, while the Grignard reagent is butylmagnesium (CH3CH2CH2CH2MgBr).
