Identify the correct reactivity order for the E ₂ elimination reaction with alcoholic KOH for the following compounds: (i) (ii) (iii)

Step-by-step solution

The rate of an E₂ elimination reaction is heavily influenced by the stability of the alkene product formed, as the transition state has partial double-bond character. A more stable product lowers the activation energy, leading to a faster reaction. Let us analyze the product formed by the elimination of HCl for each compound: For compound (i), the elimination of HCl yields cyclooctatetraene. Cyclooctatetraene is a non-aromatic compound because it adopts a non-planar, tub-like conformation to avoid anti-aromatic des