Wurtz Xylene

Sodium and magnesium do not react with tetrachlorosilane at room temperature, but do so at elevated temperatures and ia the presence of polar aprotic solvents at moderately elevated temperatures. The Wurtz-Fittig coupling of organosilanes to form disilanes (168) and polysdanes (169) is usually accomphshed usiag molten sodium ia toluene or xylene. 

Paracyclophane has been isolated from the pyrolysis of p-xylene and by dimerization of / -xylylene. Paracydophanes have been synthesized by intramolecular Wurtz reactions at high dilution. ... 

Almost every useful method for the synthesis of organopolytin compounds has involved organotin halides or hydrides as starting materials. The classic Wurtz synthesis employing a triorganotin halide and sodium in benzene, toluene, or xylene has been used frequently for the preparation of ditin compounds 195-200). 

Although the efficiency of the reaction was poor due to the Wurtz coupling and the p-proton elimination reactions, the block copolymer was synthesized by this transformation mechanism with polydispersity around 1.1 (Scheme 28). Fortunately, the problem related to coupling reactions can be avoided by using Grignard intermediates. Additionally, the P-proton elimination can be achieved by the use of xylene dibromide in the halogenation process. Obviously, such difficulties led to poor transformation efficiency. 

Fittig discovered diphenyl. He applied Wurtz s reaction (see p. 509) to the synthesis of aromatic hydrocarbons by the action of sodium on a mixture of an aryl and alkyl halide. Fittig synthesised mesitylene, showed that it is symmetrical trimethyl benzene, and investigated its oxidation, so discovering m-xylene and isophthalic acid. With J. H. Eaton he first prepared the complex salts K4Mn(CN)e and K3Mn(CN)6 in the solid form. ... 

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