I guess that first MeCl is formed, and then Cl in methyl cholride gets swapped for I from KI, forming MeI + KCl. KCl should then fall out from
solution driving reaction forward.
NurdRage used similar "trick" in his pyrimethamine synthesis, step 5, when he turned p-chlorobenzyl chloride into p-chlorobenzyl iodide, only using
acetone as solvent in that case. |