Kendra,
There are a few Diels-Alder labs we used to run at EKU. Check out eku_chem_lab on youtube for some videos to see if you like any of those options. One uses
reflux in water and another uses microwave synthesis.
Andrew Garrett, Ph.D.
Lab Manager
Berea College
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
On Behalf Of Denlinger, Kendra
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2019 10:41 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Safer Diels-Alder reaction
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hello everyone,
I'm teaching an organic lab right now (my first time teaching this course), and we're supposed to do a Diels-Alder reaction in a few weeks. It's a reaction
between cyclopentadiene and maleic anhydride, and the students are supposed to "crack" dicyclopentadiene to cyclopentadiene using a distillation with mineral oil, and then react cyclopentadiene with maleic anhydride in ethyl acetate (which is a very exothermic
reaction). Long story short, the whole thing sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
I know there has got to be a safer (and maybe even greener!) Diels-Alder reaction out there for organic lab students, but I don't know exactly where to
look and thought maybe it would be a good question for all of you! I don't have a long time to search and test things, so if someone has a Diels-Alder procedure you use at your university that works and is safer, I would love to hear about it!
Thanks for any assistance!
Kendra Denlinger
Kendra Leahy Denlinger, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Chemistry
Xavier University
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at
membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post