Microwave frequency effects on dielectric properties of some common solvents and on microwave-assisted syntheses: 2-Allylphenol and the C12-C2-C12 Gemini surfactant

Microwave radiation emitted at a frequency of 915 MHz and 5.8 GHz from a newly fabricated single-mode resonance microwave apparatus is herein proposed for use in microwave-assisted organic syntheses. The usefulness of 5.8-GHz microwaves is demonstrated by the solvent-free synthesis of 2-allylphenol through a Claisen rearrangement process, and by the synthesis of the C-12-C-2-C-12 Gemini surfactant in ethanol solvent undertaken to verify the usefulness of the 915-MHz frequency. These two model reactions have shown the advantage of these two microwave frequencies in that the observed efficiencies were greater than when employing the more commonly used 2.45-GHz microwaves. Dielectric parameters (dissipation factor: tan delta, dielectric constant: epsilon', and dielectric loss: epsilon '') have also been assessed for water and 22 common organic solvents typically used in organic syntheses, together with the temperature dependence of the dielectric parameters. Temperature-time profiles have been determined and rates of increase of temperature computed. The 5.8-GHz microwaves were effective in heating non-polar solvents, while the 915-MHz microwave frequency was most suitable for heating the alcohols. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.