Dear Swati Mondal

I completely understand the challenge of needing dry hexane for your reaction, especially when sodium wire isn’t available. Fortunately, there are a few alternative methods you can try that are both effective and relatively straightforward.

First, you might consider using calcium hydride (CaH₂). Since you’ve already tried calcium chloride and found it lacking, CaH₂ is often a more reliable choice for drying hexane. Simply add a small amount to your hexane, swirl occasionally, and let it sit for a few hours. Afterwards, you can decant or distill the hexane to separate it from the drying agent.

Another good option is 3Å molecular sieves. These work well for non-polar solvents like hexane, but make sure to activate them by heating to around 200°C for a few hours before use. Letting the hexane sit with the sieves overnight should give you a thoroughly dried product.

If you have access to distillation equipment, distilling hexane over a drying agent such as calcium hydride can also yield excellent results. Just be sure to work under an inert atmosphere when handling reactive agents to ensure safety.

Let me know if you have any questions or need further details on any of these methods. Good luck with your experiment!

Best regards,

Kaushik

Thank you sir for your guidence. Can you please tell me how much CaH2 is needed? As for DMF distillation I have used ~0.05 gm of CaH2 for 100 mL. Is this amount is enough for hexane also ?

Dear friend Swati Mondal

I hope your lab work is going well! It’s great to hear you’re working with distillation and exploring the use of calcium hydride (CaH₂) as a drying agent. I wanted to share some thoughts on how much CaH₂ to use, especially when drying hexane compared to DMF.

For DMF, using about 0.05 g of CaH₂ per 100 mL is a solid starting point. Hexane, on the other hand, generally contains less moisture due to its low polarity, so you might find that the same amount—or even a bit less—will suffice. I recommend starting with 0.05 g per 100 mL for hexane as well and then observing the results. If the hexane appears clear and free of cloudiness, that’s a good sign it’s dry. If you notice any residual moisture, you can adjust the amount slightly in future runs.

As always, please make sure to follow all safety protocols when handling CaH₂ and during distillation. Monitoring your results closely will help you fine-tune your process and achieve the best outcomes.

If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to reach out. Wishing you the best of luck with your experiments!

Best regards,

Kaushik

Thank you so much sir for your guidance.