Phenylacetylene is an

alkyne \ce \ce Acetylene \ce \ce \ce Propyne \ce \ce \ce \ce 1-Butyne In organic chemistry, an alkyne is an unsaturated hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon—carbon triple bond. The simplest acyclic alkynes with only one triple bond and n ...

hydrocarbon containing a

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 ...

group. It exists as a colorless, viscous liquid. In research, it is sometimes used as an analog for

acetylene Acetylene (Chemical nomenclature, systematic name: ethyne) is a chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is u ...

; being a liquid, it is easier to handle than acetylene gas.

Preparation

In the laboratory, phenylacetylene can be prepared by elimination of

hydrogen bromide Hydrogen bromide is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a hydrogen halide consisting of hydrogen and bromine. A colorless gas, it dissolves in water, forming hydrobromic acid, which is saturated at 68.85% HBr by weight at room temper ...

from styrene dibromide using

sodium amide Sodium amide, commonly called sodamide (systematic name sodium azanide), is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a salt composed of the sodium cation and the azanide anion. This solid, which is dangerously reactive toward water, is whit ...

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

: :

It can also be prepared by the elimination of hydrogen bromide from bromostyrene using molten

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...

. Yet another method involves 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 ...

iodobenzene Iodobenzene is an aryl iodide and the simplest of the iodobenzenes, consisting of a benzene ring substituted with one iodine atom. Its chemical formula is . It is useful as a synthetic intermediate in organic chemistry. It is a volatile colorles ...

with

trimethylsilylacetylene Trimethylsilylacetylene is the organosilicon compound with the formula . A colorless liquid, "tms acetylene", as it is also called, is used as a source of anion in organic synthesis. Use Trimethylsilylacetylene is used in Sonogashira couplin ...

, followed by removal of the

trimethylsilyl A trimethylsilyl group (abbreviated TMS) is a functional group in organic chemistry. This group consists of three methyl groups bonded to a silicon atom minus;Si(CH3)3 which is in turn bonded to the rest of a molecule. This structural group i ...

group using

TBAF Tetra-''n''-butylammonium fluoride, commonly abbreviated to TBAF and ''n''-Bu4NF, is a quaternary ammonium salt with the chemical formula (CH3CH2CH2CH2)4N+F−. It is commercially available as the white solid trihydrate and as a solution in tetra ...

Reactions

Phenylacetylene is a prototypical terminal acetylene, undergoing many reactions expected of that functional group. It undergoes semi

hydrogenation Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to redox, reduce or Saturated ...

over

Lindlar catalyst A Lindlar catalyst is a heterogeneous catalyst consisting of palladium deposited on calcium carbonate or barium sulfate then poisoned with various forms of lead or sulfur. It is used for the hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes (i.e. without furth ...

to give

styrene Styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. Its structure consists of a vinyl group as substituent on benzene. Styrene is a colorless, oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easi ...

. In the presence of base and copper(II) salts, it undergoes oxidative coupling to give diphenylbutadiyne. In the presence of metal catalysts, it undergoes

oligomerization In chemistry and biochemistry, an oligomer () is a molecule that consists of a few repeating units which could be derived, actually or conceptually, from smaller molecules, monomers.Quote: ''Oligomer molecule: A molecule of intermediate relativ ...

trimerization In chemistry, a trimer (; ) is a molecule or polyatomic anion formed by combination or association of three molecules or ions of the same substance. In technical jargon, a trimer is a kind of oligomer derived from three identical precursors of ...

, and even polymerization. : In the presence of gold or mercury reagents, phenylacetylene hydrates to give

acetophenone Acetophenone is the organic compound with the formula C6H5C(O)CH3. It is the simplest aromatic ketone. This colorless, viscous liquid is a precursor to useful resins and fragrances. Production Acetophenone is formed as a byproduct of the cumene ...

: :PhC₂H + H₂O → PhC(O)CH₃

References

{{Hydrocarbons Phenyl compounds Ethynyl compounds C2-Benzenes

Preparation

Reactions

See also

References