Iodide Vs. Chloride

1. Iodide proved to be the more reactive nucleophile in this reaction. This nucleophile was faster than Chloride, because on the periodic table, Iodine has a bigger atomic size, while Chlorine has the higher electronegativity, but size trumps electronegativity, as according to ARIO rules. This means that Iodine is more acidic than Chlorine, which means that in the reaction, the Iodide could displace the Bromine from the 1-bromooctane, because it has a bigger size, much faster than the Chloride, thus attesting the notion that Iodide is the more reactive than Chloride in the reaction.
2. The phase-transfer catalyst alkylates the reactants in the reaction, as the phase shifts during the reaction. PTCs carry anions of inorganic salts into organic solvents and returns them into the water phase, which is what occurred in this reaction.
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An alternative to using the phase transfer catalyst would be microwave irradiation. Simple CH-acidic compounds can be mono-alkylated in the solid-liquid phase in the absence of PTC, by applying microwave under solvent-free conditions. The experiment would involve exposing reactants to microwave irradiation in conjunction with the use of supported reagents which are of mineral origin, like mineral oxides (Fe(NO3), Cu(NO3)2). Microwave reaction involves selective absorption of microwave energy by polar molecules. The initial experiment with microwave energy would be using high dielectric solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide. The rate of reaction is due to rapid superheating of polar