Tert-butyl chloride was washed with aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) for a few reasons. One of the main reasons is to remove any traces of acid that may be present in the tert-butyl chloride. This is important because the presence of acid can cause unwanted side reactions during subsequent reactions.
During the washing process, a gas is evolved, which is carbon dioxide (CO2). The evolved carbon dioxide is a result of the reaction between tert-butyl chloride and sodium hydrogen carbonate.
The balanced equation for this reaction can be written as follows:
2NaHCO3 + 2HCl -> 2CO2 + 2H2O + 2NaCl
In this equation, NaHCO3 (sodium hydrogen carbonate) reacts with HCl (hydrochloric acid) present in the tert-butyl chloride, resulting in the formation of CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas, water (H2O), and sodium chloride (NaCl). It is important to note that this reaction occurs in an aqueous solution, meaning that water is present.