In chemistry, a protic solvent is a solvent that has a hydrogen atom bound to an oxygen (as in a hydroxyl group) or a nitrogen (as in an amine group). In general terms, any solvent that contains labile H+ is called a protic solvent. The molecules of such solvents readily donate protons (H+) to reagents. Conversely, aprotic solvents cannot donate hydrogen.
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Polar protic solvents
Polar protic solvents are often used to dissolve salts. In general, these solvents have high dielectric constants and high polarity.
Common characteristics of protic solvents :
Examples include water, most alcohols, formic acid, hydrogen fluoride, and ammonia. Polar protic solvents are favorable for SN1 reactions, while polar aprotic solvents are favorable for SN2 reactions.
Polar aprotic solvents
Polar aprotic solvents are solvents that lack an acidic hydrogen. Consequently, they are not hydrogen bond donors. These solvents generally have intermediate dielectric constants and polarity. Although discouraging use of the term "polar aprotic", IUPAC describes such solvents as having both high dielectric constants and high dipole moments, an example being acetonitrile. Other solvents meeting IUPAC's criteria include DMF, HMPA, and DMSO.
Common characteristics of aprotic solvents:
The criteria are relative and very qualitative. A range of acidities are recognized for aprotic solvents. Their ability to dissolve salts depends strongly on the nature of the salt.
Polar aprotic solvents are generally incompatible with strong bases, such as Grignard reagents or n-butyllithium. These reagents require ethers, not nitriles, amides, sulfoxides, etc.
Properties of common solvents
The solvents are qualitatively grouped into non-polar, polar aprotic, and polar protic solvents, often ranked by dielectric constant.