A GENERAL REVIEW OF PURDIE'S REACTION: 



ALKYLATION BY MEANS OF DRY SILVER 



OXIDE AND ALKYL IODIDES 



INTRODUCTORY NOTE 



THE process of alkylation by means of silver oxide and alkyl 

 iodides was first employed by Purdie and Pitkeathly in 

 1899 (I). 1 



Prior to that time the original work which had appeared 

 from the St. Andrews Chemical Laboratory had been con- 

 cerned chiefly with the preparation, resolution, and examina- 

 tion of active acids and their derivatives. Several racemic 

 alkyloxy-acids had already been obtained and resolved into 

 their active forms. It was realised that these substances 

 were of much importance, since their activity was found to be 

 considerably greater than that of the parent hydroxy-com- 

 pounds, and further, they were free from the disturbing 

 effect on optical activity which is exercised by the hydroxyl 

 group. The discovery of the ' silver oxide reaction,' as it 

 may be called, rendered possible the direct conversion of 

 esters of active hydroxy-acids into active esters of alkyloxy- 

 acids, and thus greatly facilitated the work in hand. The 

 application of the process to the synthetical introduction of 

 alkyl groups has been extended in various other directions, 

 which are indicated in this paper. 



In the course of the preparation of ethereal salts by the 



1 The figures in brackets are the reference numbers to the original papers, the titles of 

 which are arranged in chronological order in the bibliography appended to this communi- 

 cation. The abbreviations used are those adopted by the Chemical Society of London. 



Z 



