Microwave-assisted benzyl mono- and dibromination in diethyl carbonate as environmentally friendly alternative to radical bromination in carbon tetrachloride

An environmentally friendly benzyl mono- and di-bromination synthetic procedure was developed that is superior to the classic carbon tetrachloride bromination procedure in both reaction time and isolated yield. This new reaction was performed in diethyl carbonate as reaction media using microwave instead of conventional heating. Both the solvent and the brominating reagent N-bromosuccinimide (prepared from succinimide obtained from the reaction mixture) are recyclable. Practically, the preparation of our target compounds was completed in less than two hours.