Functional Group compatibility in organic chemistry [closed]








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As a continuation to the question:   

[Predicting reaction among compounds](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/33763/predicting-reaction-among-compounds?noredirect=1#comment51084_33763)   
  

I found the list of functional group on wikipaedia:  

<https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Organic_Chemistry/Overview_of_Functional_Groups>   
  

Now in the previously mentioned question, I got a clue that if the functional groups are compatible then reaction can occur, can you please tell me which are compatible with which?  
  





As I mentioned in my answer to [this question](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/4798/synthesizable-functional-groups/4809#4809), you are asking for something about which my two-semester organic chemistry course sequence just scratches the surface. 



> 
> After covering the basics of organic structure and reactivity, most introductory organic chemistry texts have 15-20 chapters organized by functional group containing the reactions of and syntheses of said functional groups
> 
> 
> 


In some cases, we can be reasonably certain that two functional groups will always react (primary amines and acyl halides), but in many, many other cases additional reagents, conditions, catalysts, etc. are needed. Different reagents and conditions can cause different outcomes from the same combination of reactants.


Here is a short sample of what I mean from among the earliest reactions we tend to study in the first semester organic chemistry course.


`Alcohol + alkyl halide` 


In most cases, this combination of compounds will not amount to much, but there are some special cases:


* Tertiary halides in primary alcohols undergo solvolysis


$$\ce{(CH3)3CBr + CH3CH2OH -> (CH3)3COCH2CH3 + HBr}$$


* Addition of strong base promotes elimination in any alkyl halide, especially with heat.


$$\ce{CH3CH2CH2Cl + KOCH2CH3 ->[\ce{CH3CH2OH}][\Delta] CH3CH=CH2 + KCl + HOCH2CH3}$$


* The major regioisomeric product can be controlled by which base is present.
$$\ce{CH3CH(Cl)CH2CH3 +NaOCH2CH3 ->[\ce{CH3CH2OH}][\Delta] CH3CH=CHCH3 + NaCl + HOCH2CH3}$$
$$\ce{CH3CH(Cl)CH2CH3 +KOC(CH3)3->[\ce{(CH3)3COH}][\Delta] CH2=CHCH2CH3 + KCl + (CH3)3COH}$$


If we take our primary alkyl halide and strong base, but the reaction is in DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) instead of ethanol, and the reaction is kept cold, subsitution prevails.


$$\ce{CH3CH2CH2Br + NaOCH2CH3 ->[\ce{DMSO}] CH3CH2CH2OCH2CH3 + NaBr}$$


The reaction space in organic chemistry is **very large** and, while functional group analysis is always a good place to start learning, the effects of reagents and conditions, sterics and conformation, and other factors are also important. Rather than ask a question here that has an answer that amounts to whole textbooks worth of information, maybe you should sign up for a free MOOC on organic chemistry. That will give you a sense of what types of things are and are not possible (as per M.A.Ramezani's comment), and then you can ask more focused questions here.


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