Potassium tert-butoxide

Potassium tert-butoxide
IUPAC name

potassium 2-methylpropan-2-olate
Identifiers
CAS number 865-47-4 Y
PubChem 70077
ChemSpider 63266 Y
Jmol-3D images Image 1
Properties
Molecular formula C4H9KO
Molar mass 112.21196
Appearance solid
Melting point

256 °C, 529 K, 493 °F
Hazards
MSDS Oxford MSDS
EU classification Harmful (Xn), Corrosive (C)
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Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Potassium tert-butoxide is the chemical compound with the formula (CH3)3COK. This colourless solid is a strong base (pKa of conjugate acid around 17) useful in organic synthesis. It exists as a tetrameric cubane-like cluster. It is often seen written in chemical literature as potassium t-butoxide.

Contents

Preparation

Potassium t-butoxide is commercially available as a solution and as a solid, but it is often generated in situ for laboratory use because samples are so sensitive and older samples are often of poor quality. It is prepared by the reaction of dry tert-butanol with potassium metal.[1] The solid is obtained by evaporating these solutions followed by heating the solid. The solid can be purified by sublimation at 220 °C and 1 mmHg.

Applications

The tert-butoxide species is itself useful as a strong, non-nucleophilic base in organic chemistry.[2] It is not as strong as amide bases, e.g. lithium diisopropylamide, but stronger than potassium hydroxide. Its steric bulk inhibits the group from participating in nucleophilic addition, such as in a Williamson ether synthesis or an SN2 reaction. Substrates that are deprotonated by potassium t-butoxide include terminal acetylenes and active methylene compounds. It is useful in dehydrohalogenation reactions.

Modifications

Many modifications have been reported that influence the reactivity of this reagent. The compound adopts a complex cluster structure (the picture to the right is a simplified cartoon), and additives that modify the cluster affect the reactivity of the reagent. For example, DMF, DMSO, hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA), and 18-crown-6 interact with the potassium center, enhancing the basicity of the butoxide. Schlosser's base, a mixture of the alkoxide and an alkyl lithium compound, is a related but stronger base.[2]

References

  1. ^ William S. Johnson and William P. Schneider (1963), "β-Carbethoxy-γ,γ-diphenylvinylacetic acid", Org. Synth., http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/orgsyn/prepContent.asp?prep=cv4p0132 ; Coll. Vol. 4: 132 
  2. ^ a b Drury Caine “Potassium t-Butoxide” in Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2006. doi: 10.1002/047084289X.rp198.pub2. Article Online Posting Date: September 15, 2006