Which compound is a suitable starting material to prepare dichlorocarbene (in the box)?Group of answer choices

Dichlorocarbene (CCl2) is a reactive intermediate in organic chemistry. It is usually generated in situ (in the reaction mixture) because it is too unstable to be isolated.

One common method to generate dichlorocarbene involves the use of chloroform (CHCl3) and a strong base. Here are the steps:

1. Identify the starting material: Chloroform (CHCl3) is a suitable starting material. It has three chlorine atoms and one hydrogen atom attached to a central carbon atom.

2. Add a strong base: A strong base, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is added to the reaction. The base abstracts the acidic hydrogen atom from chloroform, generating a trichloromethide ion.

3. Generate dichlorocarbene: The trichloromethide ion then undergoes elimination of a chloride ion to generate dichlorocarbene (CCl2).

So, the compound that is a suitable starting material to prepare dichlorocarbene is chloroform (CHCl3).