Electrochemical preparation of Benzyl bromide
The Product benzyl bromide and substituted benzyl bromide have industrial importance in pharmaceutical industry, useful intermediates for chemicals, agriculture chemicals. These bromo compounds are useful class of intermediates as they are precursors to a number of organo metallic species, which are used in the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceutically important compound. It is also used in the manufacture of a range of bulk and fine chemicals, including flame retardants, disinfectants, antibacterial and antiviral drugs.
The two-phase electrolysis has a distinct advantage over conventional homogenous electrolysis in practical electroorganic synthesis. The reactive species formed by the electrolytic oxidation of the halide ion in an aqueous phase can be continuously taken into the organic layer and then reacted with the substrate giving regioselective products. After the completion of the electrolysis, the separation and concentration of the organic layer afford the product. The electrolysis can be performed in mild condition without any hazardous starting material at atmospheric pressure. In this electrochemical cell good mass transfer and high conversion and high yield could be achieved. The cell design is simple and cost effective.
The electrochemical preparation of benzyl bromide in aqueous medium containing sodium bromide electrolyte with platinum as anode and cathode in an undivided batch cell by two phase electrolysis at a current density of 50 mA/cm2, the top layer containing the acidic aqueous sodium bromide solution as electrolyte and the bottom layer containing toluene in an organic solvent chloroform and at a temperature of 0oC with stirring speed of 50 rpm at atmospheric pressure.
