Meltonium - 24-10-2016 at 11:55
Is it possible to use DCM to add a methyl chloride group onto a molecule and continue the process to make long chains of hydrocarbons.
In my mind, it would work something like MeOH + H2CCl2 -> MeOCH2Cl + HCl using maybe a strong Lewis Acid catalyst such as AlCl3?
Could this also work making benzyl chloride?
C6H6 + DCM -> C6H5CH2Cl + HCl
In this case a strong lewis acid would also be used?
Maroboduus - 24-10-2016 at 12:40
Seems to me that a base like sodium methoxide would be more likely to react with DCM than the scheme you proposed. I think you'd probably wind up
making methyl chloride out of the alcohol and the DCM would just be along for the ride.
And you seem to be proposing making an ether there, not a hydrocarbon.
The benzyl chloride thing is more attractive, but I'm guessing you'd gets lots of diphenylmethane.