THF

(Tetrahydrofuran)

General Information:

Structure:

CAS Number: 109-99-9

Molecular Weight: 72.11 g/mol

Appearance: Colorless liquid

Melting Point: -108 C

Boiling Point: 65-67 C

Density: 0.899 g/mL at 25 C

Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is a polar aprotic solvent that is miscible with water. However, if the aqueous phase contains sufficient amounts of inorganic salts then phase separation may occur. 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2Me-THF) is a useful alternative to THF because of its higher boiling point and limited water miscibility.

Common Uses:

Solvent for reactions

Procedure excerpt:

To a suspension of the SM (7.5 g, 34.1 mmol), DMAP (0.83 g, 6.8 mmol), TEA (14.3 mL, 102 mmol) in THF (170 mL) was added (Boc)2O portionwise at RT. The reaction . . .

[full procedure]

Safety:

Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is highly flammable. THF forms highly explosive peroxides over time when exposed to air.

References:

1) Patent Reference: WO2015144799, page 92, (18.8 MB)

2) Wikipedia: Tetrahydrofuran (link)

3) www.sigmaaldrich.com: Tetrahydrofuran (link)