You will leave an ether solution of the product in the hood until next week. The Grignard reaction is a versatile and popular technique for making carbon-carbon bonds and building elaborate carbon frameworks. The Grignard reagent is an organometallic compound-a compound with a bond between carbon and a metal that has much covalent character. The metal is usually magnesium but lithium is also used and makes more reactive reagents. The Grignard reagent is made from the direct reaction of magnesium with an alkyl halide.
Iodides are more reactive than bromides which are more reactive than chlorides.
The unshared pair of electrons on ether oxygen complexing with Mg is believed to contribute to the stability of the reagent. This d -carbon consequently has significant nucleophilic character. The intermediate alkoxymagnesium salt is neutralized by acid in the work-up to produce the alcohol product. The following is just a sampling of the wide variety of carbonyl compound that reacts with Grignards. Notice the pattern inherent in the progression above before you trouble to memorize it.