Butylbenzenes

The fact that n-butylbenzene can be prepared in reasonable yield by the action of sodium upon a mixture of bromohenzene and n-butyl bromide can be partly explained on the assumption that n-butyl bromide reacts with phenyl-sodium more rapidly than does bromobenzene. It is interesting to note that n-butylbenzene can be prepared either from benzylsodium and n-propyl bromide or from phenylsodium and n-butyl bromide (Section VI,29). 

The n-butylbenzene contains some unsaturated hydrocarbons these can be removed by repeated shaking with small quantities of concentrated sulphuric acid (see Section III,7,No[Pg.512]

The formation of alkylbenzenes, largely free from unaaturated compounds, provides another interesting application of organosodium compounds. Thus pure M-butylbenzene is readily obtained in good yield from benzyl sodium and n-propyl bromide. Benzyl-sodium is conveniently prepared by first forming phenyl-sodium by reaction between sodium and chlorobenzene in a toluene medium, followed by heating the toluene suspension of the phenyl-sodium at 105° for about 35 minutes ... 

Ethylbenzene. Prepare a suspension of phenyl-sodium from 23 g. of sodium wire, 200 ml. of light petroleum (b.p. 40-60°) and 56 3 g. (50 9 ml.) of chlorobenzene as described above for p-Toluic acid. Add 43 -5 g. (30 ml.) of ethyl bromide during 30-45 minutes at 30° and stir the mixture for a further hour. Add water slowly to decompose the excess of sodium and work up the product as detailed for n-Butylbenzene. The yield of ethylbenzene, b.p. 135-136°, is 23 g. 

Ratio toluene- /-f-butylbenzene. The partial rate factors are based on the relative rates for toluene benzene of ref. i. 

Kinetic data are available for the nitration of a series of p-alkylphenyl trimethylammonium ions over a range of acidities in sulphuric acid. - The following table shows how p-methyl and p-tert-h xty augment the reactivity of the position ortho to them. Comparison with table 9.1 shows how very much more powerfully both the methyl and the tert-butyl group assist substitution into these strongly deactivated cations than they do at the o-positions in toluene and ferf-butylbenzene. Analysis of these results, and comparison with those for chlorination and bromination, shows that even in these highly deactivated cations, as in the nitration of alkylbenzenes ( 9.1.1), the alkyl groups still release electrons in the inductive order. In view of the comparisons just... 

Figure 12 7 illustrates attack on the benzene ring by tert butyl cation (step 1) and subsequent formation of tert butylbenzene by loss of a proton from the cyclohexadienyl cation intermediate (step 2)... 

One drawback to Fnedel-Crafts alkylation is that rearrangements can occur espe cially when primary alkyl halides are used For example Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzene with isobutyl chloride (a primary alkyl halide) yields only tert butylbenzene... 

Step 2 Loss of a proton from the cyclohexadienyl cation intermediate yields tert butylbenzene C(CH3)3... 

The synthesis of butylbenzene illustrates the acylation-reduction sequence... 

Direct alkylation of benzene using 1 chlorobutane and aluminum chloride would yield sec butylbenzene by rearrangement and so could not be used... 

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