Anhydrous Tetrahydrofuran
Anhydrous Tetrahydrofuran - Related Videos
10:17
Preparing Anhydrous Reagents and Equipment
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Dr. Dana Lashley - College of William and Mary Demonstrated by: Timothy Beck and Lucas Arney Many reactions in organic chemistry are moisture-sensitive and must be carried out under careful exclusion of water. In these cases the reagents have a high affinity to react with water from the atmosphere and if left exposed the desired reaction will not take place or give poor yields, because the reactants are chemically altered. In order to prevent undesired reactions with H2O...
06:58
n-Butyllithium Titration
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2023
Source: Vy M. Dong and Diane Le, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA This experiment will demonstrate a simple technique to titrate and obtain an accurate concentration of the organolithium reagent, n-butyllithium (n-BuLi). Organolithium reagents are extremely air- and moisture-sensitive and proper care must be taken to maintain the quality of the reagent so that it may be used successfully in a reaction. The n-BuLi titration experiments should be performed regularly...
08:43
Protocol for the Synthesis of Ortho-trifluoromethoxylated Aniline Derivatives
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2016
An operationally simple procedure for the synthesis of ortho-trifluoromethoxylated aniline derivatives via a two-step sequence of O-trifluoromethylation of N-aryl-N-hydroxyacetamide followed by thermally induced intramolecular OCF3-migration is reported.
09:04
A Direct, Early Stage Guanidinylation Protocol for the Synthesis of Complex Aminoguanidine-containing Natural Products
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Cited by 3 •
2016
Here, we present a protocol for direct, early stage guanidinylation that enables rapid total synthesis of aminoguanidine-containing small organic molecules. An advanced synthetic intermediate used in the synthesis of a blood coagulation factor XIa inhibitor was prepared using this protocol.
08:41
Identification of Fatty Acids in Bacillus cereus
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Cited by 8 •
2016
We propose a protocol to identify fatty acids without the need to purify them. It combines information on the retention times with the mass spectra of three types of fatty acid derivatives: fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), 4,4-dimethyl oxazoline derivatives (DMOX), and 3-pyridylcarbinyl esters (picolinyl).
FAQs
The ether oxygen in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran can coordinate with metal cations, helping solvate reactive intermediates during a reaction. This coordination supports the behavior of organometallic species without introducing water that could disrupt them. In practice, the solvent’s interaction with cations is especially relevant when chemists need controlled reactivity in metal-mediated synthesis.
Trace water can do more than dilute a reaction: it may hydrolyze or quench moisture-sensitive reagents, including Grignard and organolithium compounds. Removing that water preserves the intended reagent population and helps prevent an unwanted loss of reactive material. This is why water control becomes a mechanistic requirement rather than merely a storage preference.
Using anhydrous THF helps control variables that otherwise change during a moisture-sensitive reaction. If water content varies, reagent consumption and intermediate formation can vary as well, affecting reproducibility and selectivity. Maintaining a dry solvent therefore gives chemists a more consistent reaction environment and can also support safer handling of reactive chemical systems.
Drying alone is not sufficient; the solvent must be protected from reabsorbing atmospheric moisture. Sealed storage limits contact with the surroundings, while an inert atmosphere further maintains water-free conditions during handling and use. These precautions preserve solvent quality from preparation through addition to the reaction, supporting consistent experimental results.
Chemists select it when a reaction contains moisture-sensitive reagents or intermediates, particularly Grignard and organolithium compounds. It is also used in organometallic synthesis and reductions where controlled, water-free conditions matter. The choice is practical: avoiding water can protect the reaction pathway and improve the reliability of the resulting chemical transformation.
In both laboratory and industrial settings, controlling solvent water content helps standardize reactions that depend on reactive metal-containing species or other moisture-sensitive conditions. The resulting control can improve reproducibility and selectivity, while careful storage and handling contribute to safety. Thus, solvent quality becomes part of process control, not simply a specification of the reagent.