Quelet_reaction
Quelet reaction
Chemical reaction
The Quelet reaction (also called the Blanc–Quelet reaction) is an organic coupling reaction in which a phenolic ether reacts with an aliphatic aldehyde to generate an α-chloroalkyl derivative.[1] The Quelet reaction is an example of a larger class of reaction, electrophilic aromatic substitution. The reaction is named after its creator R. Quelet, who first reported the reaction in 1932,[2] and is similar to the Blanc chloromethylation process.
The reaction proceeds under strong acid catalysis using HCl; zinc(II) chloride may be used as a catalyst in instances where the ether is deactivated.[3] The reaction primarily yields para-substituted products; however it can also produce ortho-substituted compounds if the para site is blocked.