The Vespiary

The Hive => Methods Discourse => Topic started by: demorol on September 13, 2001, 11:01:00 AM

Title: Three different Acetamide syntheses
Post by: demorol on September 13, 2001, 11:01:00 AM
Since acetamide is needed in Hoffmann synthesis of methylamine, I decided to collect all possible syntheses.

I. Acetamide from Acetyl chloride
In test tube put 2 mL of conc. NH3 solution and put it into ice-water bath. Drop by drop add 1 mL acetyl chloride. Add acetyl chloride slowly, so the white fumes that appear don't escape from the test tube. If precipitate does not form add some ether or ether/methanol mixture.

II. Acetamide from Acetanhydride
Put 2 mL of conc. NH3 solution into test tube and  put it in ice-water bath. Drop by drop add 1 mL of Acetanhydride. In this case white fumes don't appear. To this mixture add ether/methanol mixture until precipitate forms.

III. Acetamide from Ethyl acetate
Put 2 mL of conc. NH3 solution and 1 mL Ethyl acetate into test tube and shake it. When you can see only one layer add ether or ether/methanol mixture until precipitate forms.

First 2 synthesis I performed by myself. The third one was taken from all kind of sources and improved.

Give me some chemicals and I'll give you pleasure
Title: Re: Three different Acetamide syntheses
Post by: Rhodium on September 13, 2001, 11:42:00 AM
And the yields from the various methods? For the first two, I suspect there are hydrolysis losses from reaction of the acetylation agents with water.

Title: Re: Three different Acetamide syntheses
Post by: PEYOTE on September 13, 2001, 11:56:00 AM
Bubbling NH3 in the reagent should not provoke losses by hydrolisis, but maybe quite dangerous, doesn't it?




:)
Title: Re: Three different Acetamide syntheses
Post by: Rhodium on September 13, 2001, 12:00:00 PM
Not with a suck-back trap for the NH3 gas, and dilution of the acetylation reagent in an inert solvent.
Title: Re: Three different Acetamide syntheses
Post by: Osmium on September 14, 2001, 03:02:00 AM
Ammonium acetate and heat. Why making it more complicated and expensive than it really is.
Title: Re: Three different Acetamide syntheses
Post by: Prdy2GO on September 14, 2001, 10:01:00 AM
This is good info, Swim has a question say you already have plenty of acetamide and would like to rearange it to MeAm gas and their must be a better way than what strike describes in TSII. I am interested in in pratice technique not theroy. Swim uses the decompisition of hexamine mostly because it is so easy.
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Hum did you get that?