Dibenzyl ketone, or 1,3-diphenylacetone, is an organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 composed of two benzyl

Benzyl

In organic chemistry, benzyl is the term used to describe the substituent or molecular fragment possessing the structure C6H5CH2-. Benzyl features a benzene ring attached to a CH2 group.-Nomenclature:...

 groups attached to a central carbonyl

Carbonyl

In organic chemistry, a carbonyl group is a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom: C=O. It is common to several classes of organic compounds, as part of many larger functional groups....

 group. This results in the central carbonyl carbon atom being electrophilic and the two adjacent carbon atoms slightly nucleophilic. For this reason, dibenzyl ketone is frequently used in an aldol condensation reaction with benzil

Benzil

Benzil is the organic compound with the formula 2, generally abbreviated 2. This yellow solid is one of the most common diketones...

 (a dicarbonyl) and base to create tetraphenylcyclopentadienone

Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone

Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone is a dark purple to black crystalline solid at standard temperature and pressure. Because of its highly conjugated nature, this organic compound can be analyzed in the UV spectrum. Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone has a "propeller" shape in its 3D conformation...

.

Preparation

Phenylacetone

Phenylacetone

Phenylacetone , is an organic compound. It is a clear oil with a refractive index of 1.5168. This substance is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and amphetamine as a starting material or intermediate, where it is commonly known as P2P...

 self condenses to form dibenzyl ketone.

phenylacetic acid

Phenylacetic acid

Phenylacetic acid is an organic compound containing a phenyl functional group and a carboxylic acid functional group. It is a white solid with a disagreeable odor...

 is reacted with acetic anhydride

Acetic anhydride

Acetic anhydride, or ethanoic anhydride, is the chemical compound with the formula 2O. Commonly abbreviated Ac2O, it is the simplest isolatable acid anhydride and is a widely used reagent in organic synthesis...

 and anhydrous potassium acetate

Potassium acetate

Potassium acetate is the potassium salt of acetic acid.-Preparation:It can be prepared by reacting a potassium-containing base such as potassium hydroxide or potassium carbonate with acetic acid:...

 and refluxed for two hours at 140-150°C the mixture is distilled slowly so that the distillate is mostly acetic acid, from 45 minutes into the distillation carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

is released, the distillation takes 75 minutes, carbon dioxide is still being evolved when distillation is stopped the resultant liquid is a mixture of dibenzyl ketone and minor impurities, note if this mixture is heated above 200-205°C resinification occurs with a decrease in the yield of the ketone.