Ok, am at a reealy basic level of chemistry...I need to react C6H5C=OOH with SOCl2. I don't know where to begin as I'm not sure what would go where, and if anything would be bumped off and what would be left over.

I don't just want the answer to this question as I need to do quite a few like it, but I need to know how it's done, what the rules are, etc. I would look it up but I don't know what it's called!

Can I please get some advice on where to begin/where online is a good tutorial site/what this 'reaction method' is called?

 

Ta very much:)

The reaction between benzoic acid and thionyl chloride produces an acid chloride. Look up the formation of an acid chloride derivative from a carboxylic acid.

Ok, thanks for reply. How do I know what will be substituted/added for other questions tho? Are there some general rules for this?

There is one general way to prepare them:

 

R-COOH + SOCl2 → R-COCl + SO2 + HCl

 

The SO2 and HCl are both gases, so this is a pretty good way to isolate just the acid chloride (AKA acyl chloride). The gases that leave drive the reaction to the right.

This is the mechanism

http://www.usm.maine.edu/~newton/Chy251_253/Lectures/CarboxylicAcids/CarboxylicAcids.html

Here's another, less common, preparation method.

 

R-COOH + PCl5 → R-COCl + POCl3 + HCl

Thanks, very helpful!