Question

When sythensising 4-bromo- 2-chloroacetanilide from 4- bromoacetanilide, the first step was to dissolve the 4- bromoacetanilide in HCL and acetic acid the mixture is heated gently. why is it important to heat gently? That is, explain why it may be problematic to heat the mixture more aggressively, e.g., above 100

Answer 1

The mixture is gently heated to provide the activation energy necessary for the reaction to occur. When temperature is increased, the rate of the reaction increases. When the temperature is very high such as , the rate of the reaction becomes so high that it becomes uncontrolable and may become an hazard which may lead to an accident. Hence, from safety point of view, it is necessary that the mixture is gently heated. Also as the temperature increases, many side reactions become possible which will decrease the yield of actual product.