Question

What effect will methanol have on the rate of reaction of sodium phenoxide with ethyl iodide? is this a good solvent for this type of mechanism? why do you think this solvent is used

Answer 1

sodium phenoxide and ethyl iodide is refluxed for 45 minutes.  Refluxing is a term used to describe boiling the reaction for a period of time with a condenser on top of the round bottom to capture the vapor by cooling and then allow the condensed solvent to drop back into the flask. This allows the reaction mixture to heat at a constant temperature (equal to the boiling point of the solvent), thus allowing the reaction to proceed with heat added but without the loss of solvent over time. Initially the methanol is a sufficiently good solvent to maintain a homogeneous mixture. By the end of the reflux time, however, you will probably notice a second phase forming on the top, which will contain your product. After the reflux is complete, you will be extracting into ether and washing a few times. Finally, the ether is evaporated and your product is ready for purification by simple distillation.