Li Dongdong, Li Jiawei, Chen Changzhong, Chen Jun, Lan Xiaobing
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Xiangnan Rare-Precious Metals Compounds Research and Application, School of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China.
ACS Omega. 2025 May 15;10(20):20922-20928. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c02491. eCollection 2025 May 27.
Organic chemistry is an important basic course in the field of natural science, and its experimental teaching is also an important part of this course. How can students acquire practical ability in experimental practice within the limited class hours? Our organic chemistry experimental teaching team has developed a teaching model using density functional theory (DFT) calculation-aided experimental teaching of organic chemistry. In this paper, taking the ethyl acetate synthesis experiment as an example, we provided a case study using DFT calculation-aided experimental teaching of organic chemistry. The reaction mechanism of ethyl acetate was studied using Gaussian 09 software. The changes in reaction energy barrier and carbonyl carbon structure were also studied. Our results show that the rate-determining step is the nucleophilic addition. The reasonable raw material addition procedure is that the glacial acetic acid and anhydrous ethanol should first be added to a flask, followed by adding sulfuric acid slowly. DFT calculation can explain clearly the mechanism of esterification reaction in a graphic form, which is not only helpful for the students to better grasp the key points of the experiment but also beneficial for deeply understanding the esterification reaction. It provides some important guidance and reference for the teaching activities of organic chemistry in the university and high school.
有机化学是自然科学领域一门重要的基础课程，其实验教学也是该课程的重要组成部分。如何让学生在有限的课时内通过实验实践获得实践能力？我们的有机化学实验教学团队开发了一种利用密度泛函理论（DFT）计算辅助有机化学实验教学的模式。本文以乙酸乙酯合成实验为例，提供了一个利用DFT计算辅助有机化学实验教学的案例研究。使用高斯09软件研究了乙酸乙酯的反应机理。还研究了反应能垒和羰基碳结构的变化。我们的结果表明，决速步骤是亲核加成。合理的原料添加程序是先将冰醋酸和无水乙醇加入烧瓶，然后缓慢加入硫酸。DFT计算能够以图形形式清晰地解释酯化反应的机理，这不仅有助于学生更好地掌握实验要点，还有利于深入理解酯化反应。它为大学和高中有机化学的教学活动提供了一些重要的指导和参考。
