Today, when working with a grignard reaction, using benzylchloride in ether, I got a little sloppy.
The glassware was not dried for as long as it usually is, prior to doing this reaction. For the first time I was unable to initiate the reaction using heat. Heated the benzylchloride/ether/Mg to reflux, but nothing. I was just about to add some iodine to kickstart it, when I got a really good idea!
2 g's 3A mol. sieves where nuked at full power in the microwave for 1 min. These where added in one portion to the ether reaction mixture and stirred for a minute. Upon touching the flask with my bare hand, the reaction started
The sieves can most likely not be reused, but two grams can probably be spared in the long run.
The conclusion is that in-situ drying of failed grignard rections works like a charm
So save that iodine - pre nuked molecular sieves are the way to go!Enjoy and happy summer living!
Regards Bandil
