During course of reaction, Ethyl chloride forms as a byproduct. Ethyl chloride has to trapped and finally to be destroyed. what would be the media (either aq. base or organic base) for quenching?
How to ensure the Ethyl chloride is completely destroyed by analysis?
Dear Sakharam, thank you for posting this interesting technical question. I think the answer to this question depends on the scale on which the reaction is carried out. If you work in the laboratory with millimole quantities, I think it would be perfectly OK if you just let the ethyl chloride escape in the fumehood. If the reaction is done on a larger or even industrial scale, it will be necessary to trap or destroy the ethyl chloride by-product. In this context please keep in mind that ethyl chloride is less reactive than the corresponding ethyl bromide and iodide. Thus I assume that aqueous base will not be efficient. My suggestion would be to prepare a concentrated solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) in ethanol to quench the ethyl chloride. Perhaps you can even use two traps containing this ethanolic KOH solution in a row. I cannot guarantee that this method works, but chances are that it does. You can easily observe the progress if the ethyl chloride is completely absorbed.
Good luck and best wishes, Frank Edelmann
With triethylamine will form water soluble tetraethylammonium chloride.
Ethyl chloride is surprisingly non-toxic, and small amounts can be vented to the atmosphere without worry. Trapping with alkali would create a larger disposal problem, I think, than was originally presented by the ethyl chloride.
As Ethyl chloride BP is 12.27 °C and good solubility with ethanol (0.48 g/ml at 21 °C), during bulk scale reaction you can purge chloroethane gas to ethanol at lower temperature..
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