Damn, I guess that means that NaOH couldn't be used as a drying agent if someone was trying to distill acetaldehyde. :( Ok, so my next question is, would MeAm*HCl form the imine? I wouldn't think so, since the imine group is protonated, but I don't really know. In https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/grignardimine.html (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/grignardimine.html)
the guy says that he used MeAm*HCl and got an 86% molar yeild. Is he full of shit?
I think that the guy has exaggerated his success somewhat, especially as you look at Vera Evdokimoff's original article which gave only 40% yield using MeNH2 freebase and Na2SO4 as drying agent. But now in the age of molecular sieves that yield should easily be exceeded.
Read up on the posts linked from Post 248673 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=6787.msg24867300#msg24867300)
(Rhodium: "Re: Novel BzCl To Meth In One Pot", Chemistry Discourse)