Iodobenzene is an aryl iodide and the simplest of the

iodobenzenes Iodobenzenes are a group of aryl iodides/halobenzenes consisting of one or more iodine atoms as substituents on a benzene core. They have the formula C6H6–''n''I''n'', where ''n'' = 1–6 is the number of iodine atoms. Depending on the number of i ...

, consisting of a

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

ring substituted with one

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

atom. Its chemical formula is . It is useful as a synthetic intermediate in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

. It is a volatile colorless liquid, although aged samples appear yellowish.

Preparation

Iodobenzene is commercially available, or it can be prepared in the laboratory from

aniline Aniline (From , meaning ' indigo shrub', and ''-ine'' indicating a derived substance) is an organic compound with the formula . Consisting of a phenyl group () attached to an amino group (), aniline is the simplest aromatic amine. It is an in ...

via the diazotization reaction. In the first step, the

amine In chemistry, amines (, ) are organic compounds that contain carbon-nitrogen bonds. Amines are formed when one or more hydrogen atoms in ammonia are replaced by alkyl or aryl groups. The nitrogen atom in an amine possesses a lone pair of elec ...

functional group is diazotized with

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

and

sodium nitrite Sodium nitrite is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a white to slightly yellowish crystalline powder that is very soluble in water and is hygroscopic. From an industrial perspective, it is the most important nitrite sa ...

Potassium iodide Potassium iodide is a chemical compound, medication, and dietary supplement. It is a medication used for treating hyperthyroidism, in radiation emergencies, and for protecting the thyroid gland when certain types of radiopharmaceuticals are u ...

is added to the resultant phenyldiazonium chloride, causing

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

gas to evolve. The product is separated by steam distillation. : Synthesis Iodobenzene

Alternatively, it can be produced by refluxing

and

nitric acid Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into nitrogen oxide, oxides of nitrogen. Most com ...

with benzene.

Reactions

Since the C–I bond is weaker than C–Br or C–Cl, iodobenzene is more reactive than

bromobenzene Bromobenzene is an aryl bromide and the simplest of the bromobenzenes, consisting of a benzene ring substituted with one bromine atom. Its chemical formula is . It is a colourless liquid although older samples can appear yellow. It is a reagent ...

chlorobenzene Chlorobenzene (abbreviated PhCl) is an aryl chloride and the simplest of the chlorobenzenes, consisting of a benzene ring substituted with one chlorine atom. Its chemical formula is C6H5Cl. This colorless, flammable liquid is a common solvent a ...

. Iodobenzene reacts readily with

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

to form the

Grignard reagent Grignard reagents or Grignard compounds are chemical compounds with the general formula , where X is a halogen and R is an organic group, normally an alkyl or aryl. Two typical examples are methylmagnesium chloride and phenylmagnesium bromi ...

, phenylmagnesium iodide. Phenylmagnesium iodide, like the bromide analog, is a synthetic equivalent for the

phenyl In organic chemistry, the phenyl group, or phenyl ring, is a cyclic group of atoms with the formula , and is often represented by the symbol Ph (archaically φ) or Ø. The phenyl group is closely related to benzene and can be viewed as a benzene ...

anion

synthon In retrosynthetic analysis, a synthon is a hypothetical unit within a target molecule that represents a potential starting reagent in the retroactive synthesis of that target molecule. The term was coined in 1967 by E. J. Corey. He noted in 1988 ...

. Iodobenzene reacts with chlorine to give the complex,

iodobenzene dichloride Iodobenzene dichloride (PhICl2) is a complex of iodobenzene with chlorine. As a reagent for organic chemistry, it is used as an oxidant and chlorinating agent. Chemical structure Single-crystal X-ray crystallography has been used to determine it ...

,{{OrgSynth , title = Iodobenzene dichloride , author = H. J. Lucas and E. R. Kennedy , prep = cv3p0482 , collvol = 3 , collvolpages = 482 which is used as a solid source of chlorine. Iodobenzene can also serve as a

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

for the

Sonogashira coupling The Sonogashira reaction is a cross-coupling reaction used in organic synthesis to form carbon–carbon bonds. It employs a palladium catalyst as well as copper co-catalyst to form a carbon–carbon bond between a terminal alkyne and an aryl or vi ...

Heck reaction The Heck reaction (also called the Mizoroki–Heck reaction) is the chemical reaction of an unsaturated halide (or triflate) with an alkene in the presence of a base and a palladium catalyst to form a substituted alkene. It is named after T ...

, and other metal-catalyzed couplings. These reactions proceed via the

oxidative addition Oxidative addition and reductive elimination are two important and related classes of reactions in organometallic chemistry. Oxidative addition is a process that increases both the oxidation state and coordination number of a metal centre. Oxidat ...

of iodobenzene.

References

Iodobenzenes Phenyl compounds

Preparation

Reactions

Further reading

References