Role of the omega phase in the analysis and intensification of solid−liquid phase-transfer-catalyzed reactions

Although phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) is a mature discipline, several intricacies of PTC in reactions of industrial importance are not understood or properly modeled. For instance, the effect of the nature and number of phases on the intensification of rates and selectivities has not been investigated in detail. This study deals with the efficacy of the so-called omega phase, which is a small quantity of aqueous phase in a solid reactant−organic liquid reaction involving PTC, in intensification of the rates of the cyanide displacement reaction on p-chlorobenzyl chloride, with special emphasis on the kinetic and modeling aspects. As the reaction proceeds, the process converts itself from a S <SUB>(reagent)</SUB>−L<SUB>(ω)</SUB>−L<SUB>(org)</SUB> into a L<SUB>(ω)</SUB>−L<SUB>(org)</SUB> PTC system. This paper gives a complete theoretical and experimental analysis of the role of the ω-phase in enhancing the rates of the reaction and the importance of the L<SUB>(ω)</SUB>−L<SUB>(org)</SUB> PTC system with a phase ratio divergent from that of the normal L <SUB>(aq)</SUB>−L<SUB>(org)</SUB> PTC system