I want to replace halide atom by acetate ion. When i heat alkyl halide with acetic acid, the color of the solution becomes dark brown. Why the color developed. Is it means reaction progressed. Even after 24 hrs heating, the color not reduced.
From my experience in organic synthesis, it is rare that a reaction mixture remains clear, uncolored. You are doing a substitution, so depending on the reactants, solvent , temperature... secondary reactions will occur to some extent. Coloration comes from oligomers or polymeric compounds, even formed in small amounts. The coloration means that something happens, but you can only know the result by purification of the mixture. The coloration cannot disappear by heating longer. If your final product is volatile, distillation usually remove the color. Activated carbon can also remove the color of the solution containing the synthetized compound.
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