In the Reimer-Tiemann reaction, phenol is refluxed with chloroform and aqueous to yield salicylaldeh — Aromatic Hydrocarbons Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Chloroform is deprotonated by the strong base to form the trichloromethyl anion, which rapidly undergoes alpha-elimination of a chloride ion to generate the neutral, electron-deficient dichlorocarbene ($:CCl_2$).