chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

, a phase-transfer catalyst or PTC is a

catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

that facilitates the transition of a reactant from one phase into another phase where reaction occurs. Phase-transfer catalysis is a special form of heterogeneous catalysis. Ionic reactants are often soluble in an aqueous phase but insoluble in an organic phase in the absence of the phase-transfer catalyst. The catalyst functions like a

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are m ...

for solubilizing the salts into the organic phase. Phase-transfer catalysis refers to the acceleration of the reaction upon the addition of the phase-transfer catalyst. By using a PTC process, one can achieve faster reactions, obtain higher conversions or yields, make fewer byproducts, eliminate the need for expensive or dangerous solvents that will dissolve all the reactants in one phase, eliminate the need for expensive raw materials and/or minimize waste problems. Phase-transfer catalysts are especially useful in green chemistry—by allowing the use of water, the need for organic solvents is reduced. Contrary to common perception, PTC is not limited to systems with

hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are n ...

and

hydrophobic In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, ...

reactants. PTC is sometimes employed in liquid/solid and liquid/gas reactions. As the name implies, one or more of the reactants are transported into a second phase which contains both reactants.

Types

Phase-transfer catalysts for anionic reactants are often quaternary ammonium salts. Commercially important catalysts include benzyltriethylammonium chloride, methyltricaprylammonium chloride and methyltributylammonium chloride. Organic phosphonium salts are also used, e.g., hexadecyltributylphosphonium bromide. The phosphonium salts tolerate higher temperatures, but are unstable toward base, degrading to

phosphine oxide Phosphine oxides are phosphorus compounds with the formula OPX3. When X = alkyl or aryl, these are organophosphine oxides. Triphenylphosphine oxide is an example. An inorganic phosphine oxide is phosphoryl chloride (POCl3). Structure and bondi ...

. For example, the nucleophilic substitution reaction of an aqueous sodium cyanide solution with an

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again ...

eal solution of 1-bromooctane does not readily occur. The 1-bromooctane is poorly soluble in the aqueous

cyanide Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

solution, and the sodium cyanide does not dissolve well in the ether. Upon the addition of small amounts of hexadecyltributylphosphonium bromide, a rapid reaction ensues to give nonyl nitrile: :C8H17Br_ + NaCN_ -> ceC8H17CN_ + NaBr_ By the quaternary phosphonium cation, cyanide ions are "ferried" from the aqueous phase into the organic phase. Subsequent work demonstrated that many such reactions can be performed rapidly at around room temperature using catalysts such as

tetra-n-butylammonium bromide Tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) is a quaternary ammonium salt with a bromide commonly used as a phase transfer catalyst. It is used to prepare many other tetrabutylammonium salts by salt metathesis reactions. The anhydrous form is a white soli ...

and

methyltrioctylammonium chloride Aliquat 336 (Starks' catalyst) is a quaternary ammonium salt used as a phase transfer catalyst and metal extraction reagent. It contains a mixture of C8 (octyl) and C10 (decyl) chains with C8 predominating. It is an ionic liquid. Applications O ...

in benzene/water systems. An alternative to the use of "quat salts" is to convert alkali metal cations into hydrophobic cations. In the research lab, crown ethers are used for this purpose. Polyethylene glycols are more commonly used in practical applications. These ligands encapsulate alkali metal cations (typically and ), affording large lipophilic cations. These polyethers have a

"interiors" containing the ion and a

exterior. Chiral phase-transfer catalysts have also been demonstrated.

Applications

PTC is widely exploited industrially.Marc Halpern "Phase-Transfer Catalysis" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. Polyesters for example are prepared from acyl chlorides and

bisphenol-A Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound primarily used in the manufacturing of various plastics. It is a colourless solid which is soluble in most common organic solvents, but has very poor solubility in water. BPA is produced on an industrial s ...

. Phosphothioate-based pesticides are generated by PTC-catalyzed

alkylation Alkylation is the transfer of an alkyl group from one molecule to another. The alkyl group may be transferred as an alkyl carbocation, a free radical, a carbanion, or a carbene (or their equivalents). Alkylating agents are reagents for effectin ...

of phosphothioates. One of the more complex applications of PTC involves asymmetric alkylations, which are catalyzed by chiral quaternary ammonium salts derived from

cinchona alkaloid ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are reportedly na ...

s.Takuya Hashimoto and Keiji Maruoka "Recent Development and Application of Chiral Phase-Transfer Catalysts" Chem. Rev. 2007, 107, 5656-5682.

References

{{reflist, 2 Catalysts

Types

Applications

See also

References