Question

How do you go from chloroform to methylacetylene in as few steps as possible?

Answer 1

pl refer the conversion

Explanation:

i didnt come up with this answer. i found this over the internet.
here's the link and all credit goes to the person who wrote this. no copying intended =)

http://www.meritnation.com/ask-answer/question/how-to-convert-chloroform-to-propyne/chemistry/2369492

Answer 2

There's a simpler and much cheaper way, if we're going completely theoretical.

1. Just put chloroform into solution with 1 equivalent of ethyllithium (the lithium is a fantastic lewis acid) to extend the alkyl chain. You can find ethyllithium in an ethyllithium / benzene solution.
2. Two equivalents of tert-butoxide in tert-butanol solvent and raise the temperature to promote two instances of `E2` (bulky nucleophile is terrible at substitution). The alcohol solvent ends up cleaning up any remaining ethyllithium by protonating the ethyl anion

Or, here's a less experimental way of doing it.

1. React with 1 equivalent of magnesium in dry ether to make a chlorogrignard reagent, a good nucleophile
2. React that with an equivalent of ethyl chloride, a good electrophile. Then the water cleans up any remaining `"MgCl"^(+)` and turns it into `"Mg"("OH")_2(s)`
3. Two equivalents of tert-butoxide in tert-butanol solvent and raise the temperature to promote two instances of `E2` (bulky nucleophile is terrible at substitution).