Pyridinium salts are an interesting class of multi-functional materials which are both molecular and polymeric in nature that exhibit liquid-crystalline and light-emitting properties. Today it is an important raw material in the chemical industry and has numerous applications. It acts as an important building block for organic compounds and also works as a versatile solvent. Before we dive deep into the importance of pyridinium salts lets know little about the history of pyridine for better understanding.
Pyridine production started in 1989 and by 1999 Europe had the biggest share of pyridine production sites worldwide. In early 2000, pyridine production significantly increased with China gaining the major market share. And now with “TATVA CHINTAN PHARMA CHEM PVT LTD” founded in Vadodara, Gujarat, India has gradually started occupying an important place in the pyridium salt supplier market. Tatva Chintan Pharma is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies inIndia.
Some Important Properties of Pyridine
- Pyridine is a colourless liquid.
- It has molecular formula C5H5N. Every molecule of pyridine is a six-membered ring related to the structure of benzene.
- Chemically it is protonated by reaction with acids and forms a positively charged polyatomic ion called a pyridinium cation which is aromatic in nature.
- Pyridines have a chemical property similar to tertiary amines.
Importance of Pyridinium Salts
Pyridine is chemically classified as aromatic amines which are used in industries like Dyes, Functional fluids (closed systems), Intermediates, Laboratory chemicals, and Solvents. Some important applications of Pyridium salts for acid-based reaction process is listed below:
- Pyridine-borane (C5H5NBH3) acts as a mild reducing agent in protic solvents. They are better than sodium borohydride because they provide more stability to protic solvents. And also improve solubility in aprotic solvents.
- Pyridine-sulfur trioxide (C5H5NSO3) acts as a sulfonation agent used to convert alcohols to sulfonates. This undergoes C-O bond scission upon reduction with hydride agents.
- It is used as intermediates in making insecticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, rubbers, and disinfectants.
- Pyridine is best known as a versatile solvent. Deuterated pyridine (pyridine-d5), is a common solvent for NMR spectroscopy. It is also used as a solvent in Knoevenagel condensations.
- It is a denaturant for antifreeze mixtures and is also used as a ligand in coordination chemistry sometimes.
Safety and Environmental Issues
- Pyridine is toxic in nature.
- It has a volatile nature and so it can be absorbed through the skin.
- Acute pyridine intoxication can cause dizziness, headache, nausea, and anorexia.
This post first appeared on Cetrimide | Phase Transfer Catalyst | Tetraethylammonium Tetrafluoroborate, please read the originial post: here
