Swim was bored while waiting for ether, so decided to take a stab at Toennie's method for pseudonitrosites.
20ml Asarone (crudely distilled from indian calamus oil; still yellow tint) was dissolved in 170ml GAA. A solution of 15g NaNO2 in 40-50ml dH2O was made and added dropwise at a rate between 1 drop/10sec to 1 drop/20 sec. Addition was complete at T+5h. The reaction vessel was lightly cooled in an ice bath, and the solution was stirred on a low setting (no vortex).
Initially, each drop formed greenish swirls (monomer) which dissolved (and forming dimer), eventually turning the virtually clear solution into a light yellow. Looks good so far.
Small bubbles can be seen being evolved. At about the halfway point, the solution turns orangish. Uh oh.
At T+4h, the solution is a deep, dark red. After the addition is complete, the solution is a purplish red.
The contents of the reaction vessel are poured into a 500ml beaker.
Swim has hope though that this purplish solution can be saved! In hopes of driving out the nitrosites, ~200ml dH2O was added and at each drop of water, the good color, yellow, swirls formed in solution but were immediately dissolved in the purple. But, when all the water had been added, a gradiated (is that a word?) layer formed. A small, dark purple layer is on the very bottom and the color gets progressively lighter upwards, the middle being orangish and getting lighter still until there is a thin yellow layer on top. There seems to be no precipitate yet.
Any ideas on what is happening here? And on swim's next actions?