BenZeen - 19-3-2010 at 22:35
Hi,
My post is about the use of ether as a polar solvent and if there are any other (substituent) solvents that are just as effective as ether.
I realise that ether may be preffered because of its low boiling point and therefore ease of removal, is this correct?
I am asking this because of the difficulty of acquiring said solvent and also because of it's hazardous nature.
Thanks
crazyboy - 19-3-2010 at 22:39
DCM would be the best substitute, after that xylene and naptha if BP isn't an issue.
JohnWW - 20-3-2010 at 00:15
If you mean diethyl ether (which is the cheapest one), you could substitute other ethers for it, such as furan (if the C=C double bonds are not a
problem), or tetrahydrofuran (both of which are also 4-C ethers with one O atom); or the slightly "heavier" pyran (oxane) and dioxane. Bear in mind
that, on prolonged exposure to air, they can form explosive peroxides.
Jor - 20-3-2010 at 01:38
Don´t forget MTBE. Cheaper, not that harmful, forms no peroxides, volatile, etc. It is used very often as a substitute. However, it is really
unstable in acidic conditions, the only real advantage AFAIK.
1281371269 - 20-3-2010 at 03:26
If you're in England, U2U me as I have about 500ml Anal-R grade Xylene that I have no foreseeable use for.
JohnWW - 20-3-2010 at 21:05
Xylene comes in three structural isomers according to the placement of the two CH3 groups on the benzene ring. Which is the one you have, or is it a
mixture of them? It is also liable to contain some ethylbenzene.
BenZeen - 22-3-2010 at 00:57
thanks for the offer Mossydie, but i live in australia.
I am leaning toward DCM, because its pretty safe from what i have heard.
Selley's kwik strip is <60% so i could try distilling it from that.
Thanks everyone.
[Edited on 22-3-2010 by BenZeen]
1281371269 - 22-3-2010 at 09:14
The label doesn't specify which isomer. It says that 92% distills between 138 and 142C, suggesting that it's p- or m-, but probably a mixture of the
three. Ethylbenzene isn't mentioned on the impurities list.