A recyclable PEG-crowned potassium tribromide [{K+PEG}.Br3 −] for the synthesis of tetrabromobisphenol A

Polyethylene glycol-bound potassium tribromide [{K+PEG}.Br3 −] was found to be an efficient brominating agent for the bromination of bisphenol A to tetrabromobisphenol A of a very high purity in excellent yield. The brominating agent was easily prepared by reacting the PEG400 with KBr3 using the host-guest chemistry concept. The effect of various reaction parameters such as solvent, temperature, and concentration of brominating agent on the yield and purity of tetrabromobisphenol A was studied. The key advantages of the developed method are the use of inexpensive, non-volatile poly(ethylene)glycols, facile regeneration, and inbuilt recycling of generated HBr waste.