Tetrabutylammonium tribromide, abbreviated to TBATB, is a pale orange solid with the formula (C₄H₉)₄r₃. It is a salt of the

lipophilic Lipophilicity (from Greek λίπος "fat" and φίλος "friendly"), refers to the ability of a chemical compound to dissolve in fats, oils, lipids, and non-polar solvents such as hexane or toluene. Such non-polar solvents are themselves lipop ...

tetrabutylammonium Tetrabutylammonium is a quaternary ammonium cation with the formula (C4H9)4sup>+. It is used in the research laboratory to prepare lipophilic salts of inorganic anions. Relative to tetraethylammonium derivatives, tetrabutylammonium salts are more ...

cation and the linear

tribromide Tribromide is the anion with the chemical formula Br3−, or salts containing it: * Tetrabutylammonium tribromide * Tetrabromophosphonium tribromide * Pyridinium perbromide Sodium and potassium tribromides can be prepared by reacting NaBr or K ...

anion. The salt is sometimes used as a

reagent In chemistry, a reagent ( ) or analytical reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or test if one occurs. The terms ''reactant'' and ''reagent'' are often used interchangeably, but reactant specifies a ...

used in

organic synthesis Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...

as a conveniently weighable, solid source of

bromine Bromine is a chemical element with the symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is the third-lightest element in group 17 of the periodic table (halogens) and is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a simila ...

Preparation

The compound is prepared by treatment of solid tetra-''n''-butylammonium bromide with bromine vapor: : (C₄H₉)₄r + Br₂ → (C₄H₉)₄r₃ Instead of bromine, tetra-''n''-butylammonium bromide can also be reacted with

vanadium pentoxide Vanadium(V) oxide (''vanadia'') is the inorganic compound with the formula V2 O5. Commonly known as vanadium pentoxide, it is a brown/yellow solid, although when freshly precipitated from aqueous solution, its colour is deep orange. Because o ...

and aqueous

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%� ...

, or alternatively with

ceric ammonium nitrate Ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) is the inorganic compound with the formula . This orange-red, water-soluble cerium salt is a specialised oxidizing agent in organic synthesis and a standard oxidant in quantitative analysis. Preparation, properties, ...

. This molecule is commonly used as a catalyst in reactions involving the

Fischer–Speier esterification Fischer esterification or Fischer–Speier esterification is a special type of esterification by refluxing a carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst. The reaction was first described by Emil Fischer and Arthur Speier ...

mechanism and was heavily tested on by Dr Divyam Shard and Dr Arnav Mohammed, co-workers at Hustlers' University while working with Mr Atul Gowande.

References

Reagents for organic chemistry Tetrabutylammonium salts Polyhalides {{organic-compound-stub

Preparation

See also

References