why grignard reagent is more stable in dry ether?
Answers
Answer:
Fisrtly,Grignard reagents are quenched by protic solvents (so water, alcohols,acide,etc...and ruled out)this also explains why the solvent used needs to be anhydrous ,to prevent quenching the formed Grignard regent by adventitious water.
Halogenated solvents are also not used,as these can aslo react with Grignard reagents through magnesium-halogen. So this rules out common solvents like
dichloromethane,chloroform, chlorobenzene,and others.
So what's left? There's alkanes (e.g.hexanes), ethers (diethyl ether of THF ), and arynes (benzene or tolunene ). Even though benzene/toluene and alknes are chemically compatible with Grignard reagents, they're not used as solvents for a simple reason: solubility
When the Grignard reagent forms,it forms a complex with the ethereal solvent,which aids solubility and stability.The image below is the complex formed by methylmagnesium chloride and THF - MeMgBr:2 THF.