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Why diethyl ether or furan is the specific solvent used in preparation of grignard reagent???

Why diethyl ether or furan is the specific solvent used in preparation of grignard reagent???

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1 Answers

Arun
25750 Points
6 years ago
Dear student
 
 

You see, furan is an enol and the ether which is usually used in Grignard as a solvent it is aprotic and can solvate the magnesium ion.

Why ether is used?

Well,

(A) It is aprotic solvent

What is aprotic?

A protic solvent is a solvent that has a hydrogen atom bound to an oxygen (as in a hydroxyl group) or a nitrogen (as in an amine group). In general terms, any solvent that contains H+ is called a protic solvent. The molecules of such solvents readily donate protons (H+) to reagents.

Conversely, aprotic solvents cannot donate hydrogen.

(B) Ether is a great solvating agent

The MgX bond in a Grignard reagent is ionic: R-Mg+lX−

Hence, it is difficult to form a Grignard reagent in a nonpolar solvent.

The C-O bond in an ether is quite polar, and the oxygen of the dipole can solvate and stabilize the R-Mg+ ion.

 

 

 

Regards

Arun (askIITians forum expert)

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