Answer to Question #122316 in Organic Chemistry for Asif Sultan

Question

How CO is a Nucleophile?

Answer 1

One of the resonance structures of carbon monoxide (CO) is carbon and oxygen connected with a triple bond with negative charge on carbon and positive charge on oxygen. Therefore CO can act as a nucleophilic agent in reactions. For example, the reaction between carbocations and carbon monoxide affording oxocarbenium ions (acyl cations) is a key step in the well-known Koch–Haaf reaction for preparing carboxylic acids from alkenes.