Toluene Properties&Uses

PROPERTIES
Physical Properties:
The physical and thermodynamic properties of toluene are summarized in Table 2.1.
Vapor pressure data for toluene are summarized in Table 2.2. Toluene forms azeotropes
with many hydrocarbons and most alcohols that boil in a similar range. All are minimum
– boiling azeotropes.
As in benzene, the carbon – carbon bond lengths of the ring carbons in toluene are all the
same length, 0.1397 nm, intermediate between normal single and double cartons in the
benzene ring of toluene occupy three sp2 hybrid orbital and one 2px orbital per carbon
atom and one is electron per hydrogen atom. One sp2 electron of each adjacent carbon
atoms to form a planar ring. The remaining six 2px electrons combine to produce a π
bond with a doughnut – shaped probability distribution on each side of the ring. These
electrons are demoralized over the entire ring. This delocalization accounts for the
stabilization energy of 163.2 kJ/mol (39 Kcal/mol0 calculated from
Table 2.1. Physical and thermodynamic Properties of Toluene

Property Value
Mol wt 92.14
Freezing pt, 0C -94.965
Boiling pt, 0C 110.629
Density , g/cm3
At 250C 0.8623
At 200C 0.8667
Critical properties
Temperature, 0C 318.64
Pressure, Mpa (atm) 4.109(40.55)
Volume, L/mol 0.316
Heat of combustion, at 250C constant 3910.3(934.5)
Pressure, kJ/mol(Kcal/mol)
Heat of vaporization, kJ/mol(kcal/mol)
At 250C
At bp 37.99(9.080)
Heat capacity, J/(g.K)(cal/g.K)) 33.18(7.931)
Ideal gas
Liquid at 101.3kPa(1atm) 1.125(0.2688)
Surface tension at 250C, mN/m 1.970(0.4709)
(=dyn/cm) 27.92
Gas Liquid
heat of formation, ∆H0f, kJ/mol 50.00 (11.950) 12.00(2.867)
(kcal/mol)
entropy, S0, kJ/K (kcal/K) 319.7 (76.42) 219.6(52.48)
free energy of formation, ∆H0f,kJ/K 93.00 (22.228) 114.1(27.282)
(kcal/K)
Table 2.2, Vapor pressure of Toluene:

Temperature, oC Prassure Temperature, oC Prassure
KPa(mm Hg) KPa(mm Hg)
0 0.91(6.8) 160 342.0(3,385)
20 2.92(21.9) 180 516.8(5,100)
40 7.91(59.3) 200 749.3(7,395)
60 18.56(139.2) 220 1053(10.30)
80 38.86(291.5) 240 1441(14.22)
100 71.19(556.5) 260 1927(19.02)
120 131.2(1,295) 280 2530(24.97)
140 217.8(2,150) 300 3273(32.30)
The observed heats of combustion compared to calculated heats of combustion for a
cyclohexatriene – type structure with alternate and fixed single and double carbon bonds.
The same value for stabilization energy is obtained from heats of hydrogenation.
Chemical Properties:
Because of the high electron density in the aromatic ring, toluene behaves as a base both
in formation of charge – transfer π complexes and in the formation complexes with super
acids. In this regard, toluene is intermediate between benzene and the xylenes In the
formation of π complexes with electrophiles such as silver ion, hydrogen chloride, and
tetracyanoethylene, toluene differs from either benzene or the xylenes by less than a
factor of two in relative basicity. The difference is small because the complex is formed
almost entirely with the π electrons of the aromatic ring; the inductive effect of the
methyl group provides only minor enhancement. In contrast, with HF and BF3 which
form a sigma – type complex, or in the case of reaction as with nitronium ion or chlorine
where formation of sigma bonds and complexes plays a predominant role, the methyl
group participates by hyperconjegation and the relative reactivity of toluene is enhanced
by several orders of magnitude compared to that of benzene. Reactivity of xylenes is
enhanced again by several magnitudes over that of toluene. Thus, when only the π
electrons are involved, toluene behaves much like benzene and the xylenes.
When sigma bonds are involved, toluene is a much stronger base than benzene and a
much weaker base than the xylenes. The reasons for this difference are readily shown by
contrasting the complexes of toluene with hydrogen chloride in the absence and presence
of aluminum chloride. In the absence of aluminum chloride, hydrogen chloride is loosely
attracted to the π cloud of electrons above and below the plane of the ring. With
aluminum chloride present, the electrophilicity is greatly enhanced and a sigma bond is
formed with a specific electron pair; structures involving the methyl group contribute to
the stabilization.
For attack at either of the two ortho positions or the para position, three such structures
can be written.
Chemical derivatives of toluene are formed by substitution of the hydrogen atoms of the
methyl group, by substitution of the hydrogen atoms of the ring, and by addition to the
double bonds of the ring. Toluene can also undergo a disproportionation reaction in
which two molecules react to yield one molecule of benzene and one molecule of xylene.
Substitutions on the methyl Group: The reactions that give substitution on the methyl
group are generally high temperature and free – radical reactions. Thus, chlorination at
ca 1000C, or in the presence of ultraviolet light or other free – radical initiators,
successively gives benzyl chloride, benzal chloride, and benzotrichloride.
With oxygen in the liquid phase and particularly in the presence of catalysts, eg. bromine
– promoted cobalt and manganese, very good yields of benzoic acid are obtained.
In the presence of alkali metals such as potassium and sodium, toluene is alkylated on the
methyl group to yield, successively, normal propylbenzene, 3 – phenylpentane, and 3 –
ethyl – 3 – phenylpentane .
Idn the presence of a potassium catalyst dispersed on calcium oxide, toluene reacts with
1,3 – butadiene to yield 5 – phenyl –2 pentene.
When lithium is used as a catalyst in conjunction with a chelating compound such as

tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), telomers are generally obtained from toluene and
ethylene .
The intermediates in these base – catalyzed reactions are believed to be of the nature of a
benzyl cation because the reaction product from toluene and propylene is
isobutylbenzene, not n – butylbenzene, and the reaction rate is slower than with ethylene.
Addition to the Ring: Additions to the double bonds in the aroatic ring of toluene result
from both free – radical and catalytic reactions. Chlorination using free – radical
initiators at temperatures <00C saturates the ring. However, this reaction is not entirely
selective, for in addition to saturating the ring to yield hexachlorohexane derivatives, the
reaction also effects substitution on the methyl group. Hydrogenation with typical
hydrogenation catalysts readily yields methylcyclohexane. However, rates for
hydrogenation of toluene are only 60-70 % of that for benzene. The commercial
technology used for hydrogenating benzene to cyclohexane can be directly applied to
manufacture of methylcyclohexane. Both of these ring – saturating reactions probably
proceed stepwise, but since the initial reaction must overcome the high resonance energy
of the aromatic ring, saturation of the second and the third double bond is much more
rapid with the result that partially saturated intermediates are not normally detected .
Substitution on the Ring: Substitution of the ring hydrogen atoms by electrophilic

attack takes place with all of the same reagents that react with benzene. Some of the
common groups with which toluene canbe substituted directly are:
And CH2Cl.
Generally, these increased reactivities of toluene and the related selectivity to the ortho
and para positions can be explaine din terms of the inductive effect of the methyl group,
which increases the electron density in the ring, and by the ability of the methyl group to
hyperconjugate (as shown below) and thereby stabilize the reaction intermediates.
In addition to these effects, there is a steric effect at the ortho position as shown by the
data in Table 6. these data clearly demonstrate that bulky groups cannot enter easily into
the position adjacent to the methyl group and therefore attack selectively at the para
position.
Toluene itself does not undergo substitution by nucleophilic attack of anions but requires
substitution by strongly electronegative groups, such as nitro groups, before the ring
becomes sufficiently electrophilic to rect with anions. Detailed treatment of aromatic
electrophilic substitutions can be found in references 21 and 22.
Miscellaneous Reactions: Several other types of reactions of toluene are also used
commercially or are of potential commercial interest and are discussed in more detail in
Utilization and Potential Uses of Toluene. These are thermal hydrogenolysis to yield
benzene, methane, and biphenyl;

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PROPERTIES

Table 2.1. Physical and thermodynamic Properties of Toluene

Table 2.2, Vapor pressure of Toluene:

When lithium is used as a catalyst in conjunction with a chelating compound such as

Substitution on the Ring: Substitution of the ring hydrogen atoms by electrophilic

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