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Why must a Grignard reaction be dry?

Answer 1

Because water is the natural enemy of the Grignard reagent. See this old answer.

As described in the link, occasionally, the water sensitivity of Grignards can be exploited. You will see chemists flame dry their glassware with a soft bunsen flame prior to an organometallic reaction (a heady mix with ethereal solvents about to be used!).

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Answer 2

Maya Allen

GRIGNARD REACTION IS CONDUCTED IN DRY ETHER
AS IF NOT
R negative will react with solvent and the necessary product will not be obtained efficiently

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Answer 3

Easton Jones

A Grignard reaction must be dry because Grignard reagents, which are alkyl or aryl magnesium halides, are highly reactive towards moisture. Water can react with the Grignard reagent, causing it to be deactivated and leading to side reactions or incomplete reactions. Therefore, to ensure the success of the Grignard reaction, it is essential to keep all reagents and reaction conditions free from moisture.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.