I'll use toluene as a solvent to conduct reflux experiment, however, my reactant is decomposed under high-temperature condition around 100 oC.
Therefore, I should use a lower temperature, but, if I use a lower temperature, then, the toluene doesn't boil.
So, what I wonder is that, in the flux condition, boiling is necessary or not.
Or, Is there any good solvent which has a similar property with toluene?
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Many reactions commonly run in an organic laboratory need to be heated in order to proceed at a satisfactory rate. The most convenient way to heat a reaction is by boiling it in a solvent in a conical vial or round bottom flask. ... To prevent the solvent from boiling away, a reflux condenser is used.
You can try cyclohexane or benzene (both have boiling points at approx. 80°C). Or you can run your reaction at a defined temperature in toluene (below the boiling point)
The point is that you have to run you reaction at a well defined temperature (i.e. the boiling temperature of your solvent at atmospheric pressure). The refluxing is done to recover the solvent boiled off. Julian is right you can make you reaction at lower temperature by adjusting the heater properly or you may reflux under reduced pressure then the boiling temperature of your toluene is reduced. If you don't absolutely need the toluene use a different solvent.
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