A lower yield of phosphonium salt is obtained in refluxing benzene than in xylene. Look up the boiling points for these solvents, and explain why the difference in boiling points might influence the yield.

Question

I'm not sure how to answer this question. I see that benzene has a lower bp than xylene, but how does that affect the overall yield?

Answer 1

Higher temperature means faster reaction. If activation energy plays a part then higher T means more product.