Importance of small amount of water in solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis: Reaction of benzyl chloride with solid sodium sulphide

293-297The reactions of benzyl chloride with solid sodium sulphide were carried out in the presence of two different phase transfer catalysts. The rate of reaction was found to vary non-linearly with catalyst concentration in both the cases. This was explained in terms of phase transfer catalyst-promoted dehydration of the solid reactant. The phenomenon was also explained theoretically which proved the importance of small amount of water in solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis