Hydrogenate ethyl acrylate (CH2=CH-CO2Et) with H2/Pd. What is the major product?

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Multiple Choice

Hydrogenate ethyl acrylate (CH2=CH-CO2Et) with H2/Pd. What is the major product?

Catalytic hydrogenation under H2/Pd selectively reduces the carbon–carbon double bond in an alkene attached to an ester, not the ester group itself under mild conditions. In ethyl acrylate, the C=C bond (the vinyl portion) is reduced to a single bond, giving CH3-CH2-CO2Et, which is ethyl propionate. The ester moiety remains intact, so you don’t form ethanol or any benzene-containing ester under these conditions. Therefore the major product is ethyl propionate.

Catalytic hydrogenation under H2/Pd selectively reduces the carbon–carbon double bond in an alkene attached to an ester, not the ester group itself under mild conditions. In ethyl acrylate, the C=C bond (the vinyl portion) is reduced to a single bond, giving CH3-CH2-CO2Et, which is ethyl propionate. The ester moiety remains intact, so you don’t form ethanol or any benzene-containing ester under these conditions. Therefore the major product is ethyl propionate.

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