http://www.ispcorp.com/products/industrial/content/products/mpyrol.html (http://www.ispcorp.com/products/industrial/content/products/mpyrol.html)
), how about steam distallation to sep the NMP/GBL from the Bitrex. Followed by Chromic's NaHCO3 method of basic hydrolysis to open the lactone ring of GBL but not NMP. I'm assuming that NMP is more resistant to this weak basic hydrolysis than GBL because the 3 N bonds in NMP are stronger than the 2 O bonds in GBL. Am I right? At what pH/temperature does GBL succumb to NaHCO3 hydrolysis? I've read the pH of NaHCO3 is 7.9-8.4 at 15C. Does this increase with temperature? Does it ever pass pH 9-10?The big question is: Does NaHCO3 catalyzed hydrolysis of NMP occur under the same conditions as NaHCO3 catalyzed hydrolysis of GBL?
No.
I guess I'll have to write and direct a play about this techinique then.
Not in my neighborhood.
Perhaps not in your neighborhood, but if you live in the United States there are at least 2 major chain hardware stores I can name which either sell or will order for you a particular brand or brands of products containing NMP/GBL.
If not, I can think of at least 2 industrial/commercial chemical manufacturers which offer NMP/GBL based cleaning solvents (think taggers).