Abstract
Abstract Styrene oxide was deoxygenated to styrene in 83% yield by zinc metal and zinc chloride in aqueous ether. Under the same reaction conditions phenyl glycidyl ether gave only 2.8% of phenyl allyl ether, and propylene oxide did not give propylene. Effects of the reaction variables on the deoxygenation of styrene oxide were investigated. The yield of styrene was varied with metal halide in anhydrous THF in the following order; ZnI2>ZnCl2∼ZnBr2>AlCl3>SnCl4>FeCl3>NaI>>MgBr2. Styrene was formed from styrene oxide by zinc metal and zinc chloride in ca. 50% yield in THF, acetone, acetic acid, and aqueous ethanol, but not in anhydrous benzene. The yield of styrene increased almost proportionally with the increase of the molar ratio of zinc chloride to styrene oxide up to 1:1. 2-Phenyl-2-chloroethanol gave styrene when treated with zinc metal in the presence or absence of zinc chloride, but 1-phenyl-2-chloroethanol did not. Possible reaction paths of the deoxygenation of styrene oxide by zinc metal and metal halide were discussed.
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