[sapta]

2 questions: 1)why do ter-alkyl halides get converted to alkenes rather than alkanes by wurtz reaction?                                                                                                                                                                                          2)what's the alkali used in wolf-kishner reduction?KOH  or sodium alkoxide?AND, WHY IS DI ETHYL GLYCOL(or,tri-etyl glycol not sure )USED IN THE MODIFICATION?

[AWK]

1. E1 reaction (in the case of tertiary halides)is much faster than Wurtz reaction

2. Wolff-kishner reaction is carried out at the temperature about 200 C  in sealed ampoule.The Huang Minlon modification of Wolff-Kishner reaction allows better yields under atmospheric pressure. Since ethylene glycol (diethylene or triethylene glycols) ater thermally stable and show high boiling points, it is possible to remove water and excess of hydrazine from reaction mixture