In a
2-l. round-bottomed flask placed on a
steam bath and fitted with a
stirrer, a
separatory funnel, and a
reflux condenser is placed
540 g. (1.9 moles) of commercial (88 per cent) bromoform (Note
1). There is then added
10 cc. of a solution of sodium arsenite made by dissolving 230 g. (1.16 moles) of c. p. arsenious oxide and 440 g. (11 moles) of sodium hydroxide in 1.4 l. of water. The mixture is warmed gently to start the reaction, and then the remainder of the
sodium arsenite solution is added during about one hour at such a rate that the solution refluxes gently. When the addition is complete, the flask is heated for four hours on the steam bath. The reaction mixture is distilled with steam, the lower layer of
methylene bromide separated, and the water layer extracted once with
100 cc. of ether (Note
2). The
methylene bromide is dried with
10 g. of calcium chloride and distilled. The yield of slightly yellow liquid boiling at
97–100° is
290–300 g. (
88–90 per cent of the theoretical amount).