In organic chemistry, the Jocic reaction, also called the Jocic–Reeve reaction (named after Zivojin Jocic[1] and Wilkins Reeve[2]) is a name reaction that generates α-substituted carboxylic acids from trichloromethylcarbinols and corresponding nucleophiles in the presence of sodium hydroxide.
The reaction involves nucleophilic displacement of the hydroxyl group in a 1,1,1-trichloro-2-hydroxyalkyl structure with concomitant conversion of the trichloromethyl portion to a carboxylic acid or other acyl group.
As a result of this mechanistic aspect, the reaction can easily occur on secondary or tertiary positions, and chiral products can be made by using chiral alcohol substrates.
Using hydride as the nucleophile, which also reduces the carbonyl of the product, allows this sequence to be used as a homologation reaction for primary alcohols.
[7] This reaction can be followed by the introduction of an amine, to form the corresponding homoelongated amides.