Why is anthracene reacted with maleic anhydride in xylenes rather than ethanol?

[lenadub]

In the Diels-Alder reaction between anthracene and maleic anhydride, why is it carried out in xylenes rather than in ethanol?

 

[Borek]

I am not an organiker, so I can be wrong - but what happens when you mix acetic anhdyrides with alcohols?

--

 

[lenadub]

The maleic anhydride reacts with alcohol to give athyl acetate??

 

[Borek]

Why acetate?

--
methods

 

[burningbend]

yep, you've got the right idea. you'd get side reactions with the maleic acid and ethanol to form esters.

xylenes on the other hand, are virtually useless and won't react except under extreme conditions with things like acid chlorides and alkyl chlorides in friedel-crafts reactions. other good solvents would most likely be toluene, hexanes, pentane, petroleum ether, and methylene chloride