Alkylation And Arylation

Alkylation/arylation is the transfer of an alkyl/aryl group from one molecule to another. This group may be transferred as an alkyl carbocation, a free radical, a carbanion or a carbene (or their equivalents). Alkylating/arylating agents are quite commonly used in chemistry because the alkyl group is the most universal group encountered in organic molecules. Many biological target molecules or their synthetic precursors are composed of an alkyl chain/aryl group with specific functional groups in a specific order. Selective alkylation/arylation, or adding parts to the chain with the desired functional groups, is important from synthesis point of view. In context of oil refining, alkylation refers to a particular alkylation of isobutane with olefins. For upgrading of petroleum, alkylation produces synthetic C7-C8 alkylate, which is a finest unification stock for gasoline (Stefanidakis and Gwyn, 1993). 6.2 ALKYLATIONAlkylation is generally carried out by Friedel-Crafts reaction.