DCM is also about the only good solvent left that is also resistant to lewis acids. I think that some people were pushing for benzotrifluoride as a replacement, but it just straight up doesn’t work as well where i tried it
Tbf before “do it in DCM” was “do it in CCL4” or “do it in benzene”, DCM just works without nuking operator’s liver
Lots of these new green solvents are also annoyingly polar so perhaps they can be used as replacements of other polar solvents but not anything else. I’m not using cyrene, fuck that
TFA is used because it works and is shelf-stable. Replacements like HCl in ether or ethyl acetate are bitch to make and when these can be bought, they have to be refrigerated all the way. Straight up not worth the effort on small scale
I fully agree. My personal experience with chemistry tells me that these people are not known for using these solvents out of spite, they use what works because they have specific properties and minimize personal risks when working in a lab, especially in an small-scale experimental setting where the used volumes of solvents are limited and changing them might bite into the sometimes meager amount of product you might get out of a reaction.
If everything goes well and you can replace the solvent for a greener substitute in an industrial scale process while still getting acceptable efficiency, i don’t think any chemist would disagree to switch. That they still use these solvents simply shows that some properties aren’t easily replicated.
DCM is also about the only good solvent left that is also resistant to lewis acids. I think that some people were pushing for benzotrifluoride as a replacement, but it just straight up doesn’t work as well where i tried it
Tbf before “do it in DCM” was “do it in CCL4” or “do it in benzene”, DCM just works without nuking operator’s liver
Lots of these new green solvents are also annoyingly polar so perhaps they can be used as replacements of other polar solvents but not anything else. I’m not using cyrene, fuck that
TFA is used because it works and is shelf-stable. Replacements like HCl in ether or ethyl acetate are bitch to make and when these can be bought, they have to be refrigerated all the way. Straight up not worth the effort on small scale
I fully agree. My personal experience with chemistry tells me that these people are not known for using these solvents out of spite, they use what works because they have specific properties and minimize personal risks when working in a lab, especially in an small-scale experimental setting where the used volumes of solvents are limited and changing them might bite into the sometimes meager amount of product you might get out of a reaction.
If everything goes well and you can replace the solvent for a greener substitute in an industrial scale process while still getting acceptable efficiency, i don’t think any chemist would disagree to switch. That they still use these solvents simply shows that some properties aren’t easily replicated.