The Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction uses a Lewis acid catalyst to attach an alkyl group to an electron-rich benzene ring or derivative. First, a carbocation electrophile is generated through Lewis acid-assisted ionization of an alkyl halide. The aromatic ring then attacks the carbocation, forming a carbon-carbon bond and a new carbocation...

Benzyl groups are often used to protect alcohols in multi-step synthetic reactions. To deprotect, the benzyl ether first undergoes oxidative addition to the Pd(0) catalyst, forming a Pd(II) complex. Hydrogen coordination and transfer then facilitates the release of the alcohol. Reductive elimination expels toluene and regenerates the palladium catalyst. Reagents:...