Darzens Reaction
Darzens reaction (also known as the Darzens condensation or glycidic ester condensation) is the chemical reaction of a carbonyl compounds (ketone or aldehyde) with an α-haloester to form α,β-epoxy esters.
Mechanism of Darzens Reaction
Stereochemistry of Darzens Reaction depending on the specific structures involved, the epoxide may exist in cis- and trans- forms. A specific reaction may give only cis-, only trans-, or a mixture of the two. The specific stereochemical outcome of the reaction is affected by several aspects of the intermediate steps. Before SN2 reaction is controlled by Kinetics while after SN2 reaction is controlled by Thermodynamics.