Efficient and Facile Chlorination of Industrially-Important Aromatic Compounds using NaCl/p-TsOH/NCS in Aqueous Media

A simple and efficient process for the chlorination of industrially important aromatic compounds using NaCl/p-TsOH/NCS in aqueous media under mild conditions is described. The addition of NaCl increases the yield of chlorinated product and decreases the reaction time in the presence of p-toluenesulphonic acid (p-TsOH) and N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS). The present method furnishes higher selectivities and yields of chlorinated products under mild reaction conditions in a short reaction time. Organic solvent-free conditions, a feature of green chemistry, was successively used not only for the reactions but also for the isolation of products at the end of the reaction, which seems to be the most promising methodology from the viewpoint of a green approach to organic synthesis.