[phth]

Anyone using benzene to azeotropically dry a non-volatile substance? 

[Arkcon]

Toluene can be used to quantitatively determine moisture in a sample, by distilling over its azeotope with water.  You can read that procedure in the USP.  I suppose benzene trinary water-ethanol-benzene azeotrope could be used to dry something.  But this might be destructive to the dry solid.

[TheUnassuming]

I usually azeotrope materials with benzene before I run certain reactions.  Some reactions I don't bother unless I'm trying to squeeze every last % yield (lithiations ect), others like catalytic organometallic reactions and enantioselective (CBS) reductions it seems almost required to get even reasonable yields/ee's.

[phth]

Thanks Arkcon, TheUnassuming!