Submitted by H. H. Hatt
Checked by Reynold C. Fuson and Ellsworth Ellingboe.
1. Procedure
(
A)
Dibenzoylhydrazine.—In a
2-l. flask, provided with a
mechanical stirrer (Note
1) and cooled in a
bath of cold water, are placed a solution of
48 g. (1.2 moles) of sodium hydroxide in 500 cc. of water and
65 g. (0.5 mole) of hydrazine sulfate (Org. Syn. Coll. Vol. I, 1941, 309). With stirring,
145 g. (120 cc., 1.03 moles) of freshly distilled benzoyl chloride and
120 cc. of an aqueous solution containing 45 g. (1.1 moles) of sodium hydroxide are added slowly from separate
dropping funnels. The
benzoyl chloride is added over a period of one and one-half hours; the alkali is added slightly faster. After both additions are completed the mixture is stirred for two hours longer and then saturated with
carbon dioxide (Note
2). The
dibenzoylhydrazine is filtered with suction, pressed thoroughly, and ground to a paste with
50 per cent aqueous acetone. The material is filtered with suction, washed with water, and pressed as dry as possible. The crude product is dissolved in about
650 cc. of boiling glacial acetic acid, from which, on cooling, the
dibenzoylhydrazine separates as a mass of fine white needles. These are filtered with suction, washed with cold water, and dried by heating under reduced pressure on a
water bath, in a slow current of air. This first fraction, m.p.
234–238°, amounts to
80–90 g. (
66–75 per cent of the theoretical amount) and is practically pure. Small quantities of less pure material can be obtained by concentration of the mother liquor.
(
B)
Dibenzoyldimethylhydrazine.—The following operations should be performed under a
hood. In a
2-l. three-necked flask, provided with a mechanical stirrer, a
thermometer, and two dropping funnels, are placed
80 g. (0.33 mole) of dibenzoylhydrazine,
10 g. (0.25 mole) of sodium hydroxide, and 600 cc. of water. The mixture is maintained at about 90° (Note
3) by heating on a water bath. With stirring,
320 g. (240 cc., 2.54 moles) of methyl sulfate (Note
4) and
250 cc. of an aqueous solution containing 125 g. (3.1 moles) of sodium hydroxide are added from separate dropping funnels. The
methyl sulfate is added in 10-cc. portions at five-minute intervals, the
sodium hydroxide solution at a rate that maintains the reaction mixture slightly alkaline. When markedly alkaline the mixture has a distinctly yellow color; it is best to maintain a degree of alkalinity slightly less than that required to produce this color.
During the additions, which require about two hours, the
dibenzoyldimethylhydrazine separates as a supernatant liquid (Note
5); the semisolid material thrown up on the sides of the flask must be washed down from time to time. After being heated for one-half hour longer the mixture is allowed to cool. The solid
dibenzoyldimethylhydrazine is collected, crushed with water, filtered, and dissolved in
100 cc. of chloroform. The solution is filtered from insoluble impurities and dried over
sodium sulfate; the
chloroform is removed by heating on a water bath, finally under reduced pressure. The solid residue melts at
77–84° and is sufficiently pure for further use. The yield is
77–83 g. (
86–93 per cent of the theoretical amount) (Note
6).
(
C)
Dimethylhydrazine Dihydrochloride.—In a 2-l. flask, a mixture of
67 g. (0.25 mole) of dibenzoyldimethylhydrazine and
250 cc. of 32 per cent hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.16) is refluxed gently for two hours under a hood. To remove the
benzoic acid, the mixture is steam-distilled until 10 l. of distillate has collected (Note
7); the residual liquor is evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure on a water bath. The crystalline dihydrochloride is treated with
25 cc. of absolute ethyl alcohol, and the mixture is evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. This treatment is repeated, and the dihydrochloride is crushed with a mixture of
25 cc. of absolute alcohol and
2–3 cc. of concentrated hydrochloric acid, filtered, and washed with
10–15 cc. of cold absolute alcohol. The first fraction of
dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride, after being dried in a
vacuum desiccator, weighs
22–23 g. By evaporation of the mother liquors and further treatment with
5–6 cc. of absolute alcohol and a little
hydrochloric acid, a second fraction of
3 g. of the hydrochloride is obtained. Repetition of this procedure yields a third fraction amounting to about
0.5 g. (Note
8). The total yield is
25–26 g. (
75–78 per cent of the theoretical amount).
2. Notes
1. The reaction flask need neither be corked nor placed under a hood if a glass tube, connected to a
filter pump, is passed a short way into the neck of the flask.
2. Most of the
dibenzoylhydrazine separates during the reaction as a white precipitate; if the mixture is not saturated with
carbon dixoide, about
3 g. of the product remains in solution.
3. The temperature may be determined by a thermometer sheathed in a glass tube, which passes through the stopper and dips into the liquid. A section of rubber tubing slipped over the upper end of the thermometer serves to hold it in place. This device also provides a convenient method of testing the alkalinity of the solution.
4. Since
methyl sulfate is very toxic, care should be exercised to avoid spilling the liquid or inhaling the vapor of the reaction mixture.
Ammonia is a specific antidote.
5. The stated quantities of
methyl sulfate and
sodium hydroxide are merely approximations of the amounts actually required. The
methyl sulfate is added at the stated rate until all the solid
dibenzoylhydrazine has disappeared, and then another 25 cc. is added. Usually less than the stated amount of alkali is required.
6. The
dibenzoyldimethylhydrazine can be obtained in a purer state by treating the cold, filtered
chloroform solution with a 1 : 1 mixture of
ether and petroleum ether (b.p. 40–60°) until crystallization begins and then adding slowly a moderate excess of
petroleum ether. The hydrazine separates in small white needles, m.p.
84–87°.
8. The mono- and dihydrochlorides are very hygroscopic and should not be exposed to air for any length of time. Solutions of the dihydrochloride lose
hydrochloric acid on evaporation, and the dihydrochloride obtained from solutions so treated tends to be oily. In recrystallization a little concentrated
hydrochloric acid is added to the alcoholic solution.
The dihydrochloride may be crystallized by dissolving in boiling
absolute ethyl alcohol (1 g. requires 20 cc. of alcohol), then adding a little concentrated
hydrochloric acid and, after cooling slightly, about one-fifth of the volume of
ether. The
dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride separates as a white crystalline powder, melting at
165–167°.
3. Discussion
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