Starting with alanine, you can oxidize to a nitro acid using potassium permanganate, you then decarboxylate the nitro-acid to nitroethane by forming a sodium ester of the nitroacid and heat this with water, the result is nitroethane and an alkali bicarbonate on reaction with water, I wonder if it would be smarter to acidify the mixture of alanine/KMnO4 and water to more effectively oxidize the amino acid to a nitroacid? Aurelius came up with this idea and it's posted as such:
Method 18: Oxidation of alanine with permanganate followed by decarboxylation
Nitroethane via oxidation of alanine?
Theory
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MeCH(NH2).COOH + 3(O) --> MeCH(NO2).COOH + H2O.
MeCH(NO2).COOH + NaOH --> MeCH(NO2).COONa.
MeCH(NO2).COONa + H2O --> MeCH2(NO2) + NaHCO3.
Procedure
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A solution of potassium permanganate (0.3 mol) in water was made by dissolving 47.41 g KMnO4 in 400 mL hot water in a 1 L 3-necked flask fitted with a reflux condenser, a stirbar[note 1], thermometer, and a 100-mL addition funnel. As the solution cools to room temperature fine crystals of KMnO4 crystallise out of solution[note 2]. A solution of alanine (0.1 mol, 8.91 g) in 65 mL of water was placed in the addition funnel and added dropwise with stirring over a 20 minute period. The temperature slowly rose. When the addition was complete, the reaction mixture was heated to 60º over a period of approximately 2 hours. 40 mL of acetone was added [note 3] and then the reaction mixture maintained at 70-85º [the sludge was extremely viscous and the stirbar was of no use] for 2 hours. 0.1 mol sodium hydroxide in 20 mL of water was then added through the addition funnel.
Pause (to be completed).
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The flask showed no sign of heating up after addition of the NaOH. By now the black/brown sludge will not mix (with the stir-bar). The next step is to heat to 80-100C to
decarboxylate any nitro-propionic acid and then to steam distil.
Notes:
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1. An overhead stirrer is essential - the stirbar will get clogged with MnO2.
2. KMnO4 solubility is 1 in 3.5 parts of hot water and 1 in 14 parts of cold water.
3. The acetone was added to try to clear the sludge. I would have added more but I had second thoughts.
Refs:
1. Synthesis Of Aliphatic And Alicyclic Nitro Compounds; Org. Syn. p 131-132 [The Oxidation of Amines]
Post 238118
(Aurelius: "Re: What can be done to improve the performance of clandestine nitroethane synth?", Chemistry Discourse)