Dichloromethane (DCM) is an organic solvent with complimentary properties such as low boiling point, slight polarity, and efficiency in dissolving organic molecules that have resulted in DCM being used in many chemical industries with various important applications in synthesis and purification. New restrictions of DCM use are taking effect May 2025, that aim to minimize the risk to human and environmental health via controlled exposure limits. In our undergraduate organic synthesis research, DCM is used in separations during the purification process and as a reaction solvent, therefore it is ideal to find viable alternatives to DCM to have an informed decision on when to opt into using DCM. Alternative solvents and mixtures that possess similar properties regarding solubility and volatility have been identified by the American Chemical Society and career chemists, but each reaction needs to be independently optimized. Diethyl ether, ethyl acetate/ethanol (3:1), and dioxane will be tested as both reaction solvents and purification solvents for several organic synthesis reactions and evaluated based on purity and percent yield for viability as replacement for DCM use. Spectroscopic methods including 1H-NMR and FT-IR will be used to compare the effectiveness of the chosen alternatives.
