o-Xylylene Bis(Triethyl Ammonium Tribromide) as a Mild and Recyclable Reagent for Rapid and Regioselective Bromination of Anilines and Phenols

Background: o-Xylylene bis(triethyl ammonium tribromide) (OXBTEATB) as a recyclable and high bromine containing di-(tribromide) reagent has been employed for the bromination of various organic substrates such as phenol and aniline or its derivatives. This catalyst can be recovered and reused several times. Methods: Aryl bromides shown in Table 1, were easily produced from bromination of aromatic compounds by OXBTEATB. This high-yield process lets the reagents to be recycled and reused. Results: As shown in Table 1, substituted anilines, phenols and β-naphthol were found to be the most reactive and immediately converted to the corresponding mono-brominated products by OXBTEATB. Conclusion: OXBTEATB can be considered a solidified bromine. This novel reagent has variable solubility in different polar protic and aprotic solvents but insoluble in non-polar aprotic solvent. Subsequently, OXBTEATB can be recognized as a more useful brominating and regioselective catalyst than the liquid bromine. Keywords: o-Xylylene bis(triethyl ammonium tribromide), phenol, aniline, β-naphthol, bromination, recyclable regent.