A- aminophenols

Unsyimnetiical rhodamines can be piepaied by the condensations of one mole of a -aminophenol with phthalic anhydride to give an o-benzoyl benzoic acid (27) which is then fuithei condensed with a different z -aminophenol to give the requited product, Rhodamine 3GO (28) (2). A general route to asymmetrical acid xanthenes has been patented (39). 

Figure 113. Effect of CTAB on the degradation rate of various acetate and benzoate esters. The ratio of the rate constant in the presence of CTAB (k) to that in its absence (k ) is plotted as a function of CTAB concentration. , />-Nitrophenyl acetate (pH 9.2,25°C) I, ethyl p-nitrobenzoate (pH 10.64,25°C) a. />-aminophenol acetate (pH 10.64,50°C) ethyl />-aminobenzoate (pH 10.55,50°C). (Reproduced from Ref. 476 with permission.)...

The synthesis of Gates and Tschudi (Scheme 13.44) began with 2,6-dihydroxy-naphthalene, which was converted to its monobenzoate and nitrosated. Reduction of the nitroso (H2, Pd/C) yielded the corresponding a-aminophenol, the oxidation of which, with iron(III) chloride, produced a quinone, and reduction of the quinone with sodium hydrosulfite followed by methylation (dimethyl sulfate [(CH3)2S04]) yielded a dimethoxybenzoate. Removal of the benzoate protecting group and repetition of the entire sequence outlined above produced a dimethoxyquinone. 

Reduction to aminophenol. Reduce about 0 5 g. of o-nitrophenol with cone. HCl and tin as described on p. 385. After a few minutes the yellow molten o-nitrophenol disappears completely, the solution becoming homogeneous and colourless due to the formation of 0-aminophenol (which is soluble in HCl). Cool and add 30% aqueous NaOH solution note that a white precipitate is first formed and then redissolvcs in an excess of NaOH, and that the solution does not develop an orange coloration, indicating that the nitro-group has been reduced. 

A) Benzoyl Derivative. Since acetylation and benzoylation do not always proceed smoothly with nitrophenols, it is best to reduce them to the aminophenol as in (3) above. Add an excess of 20% aqueous sodium hydroxide to the reaction mixture after reduction, cool and then add a small excess of benzoyl chloride, and shake in the usual way. The dibenzoyl derivative wiU separate. Filter, wash with water and recrystalUse. (M.ps., p. 551.)... 

Add 4 4 g. of recrystaUised -phenylhydroxylamine to a mixture of 20 ml. of concentrated sulphuric acid and 60 g. of ice contained in a 1 litre beaker cooled in a freezing mixture. Dilute the solution with 400 ml. of water, and boil until a sample, tested with dichromate solution, gives the smell of quinone and not of nitrosobenzene or nitrobenzene (ca. 10-15 minutes). Neutralise the cold reaction mixture with sodium bicarbonate, saturate with salt, extract twice with ether, and dry the ethereal extract with anhydrous magnesium or sodium sulphate. Distil off the ether p-aminophenol, m.p. 186°, remains. The yield is 4-3 g. 

A fairly general procedure consists in coupling a phenol or naphthol with a diazotised amine, reducing the product to an aminophenol or aminonaphthol, and oxidising the hydroxy compound with acid ferric chloride solution. This method is illustrated by the preparation of (3 (or 1 2)-naphthoquinone ... 

Place 170 ml. of concentrated sulphuric acid in a 1-litre three necked flask provided with a stirrer, and add 112 - 5 g. of o-aminophenol, followed by 287 g. of glycerol maintain the temperature below 80° by cooling, if necessary. Keep the mixture in a fluid state by placing the flask on a steam bath. 

Suspend 11 g. of p-aminophenol in 30 ml. of water contained in a 250 ml. beaker or conical flask and add 12 ml. of acetic anhydride. Stir (or shake) the mixture vigorously and warm on a water bath. The solid dissolves. After 10 minutes, cool, filter the solid acetyl derivative at the pump and wash with a little cold water. Recrystallise from hot water (about 75 ml.) and dry upon filter paper in the air. The yield of p-acetylaminophenol, m.p. 169° (1), is 14 g. 

The carbonyiation of o-diiodobenzene with a primary amine affords the phthalimide 501 [355,356]. Carbonyiation of iodobenzene in the presence of (9-diaminobenzene (502) and DBU or 2,6-lutidine affords 2-phenylbenzimida-zole (503)[357, The carbonyiation of aryl iodides in the presence of pentaflnor-oaniline affords 2-arylbenzoxazoles directly, 2-Arylbenzoxazole is prepared indirectly by the carbonyiation of (9-aminophenol[358j. The optically active aryl or alkenyl oxazolinc 505 is prepared by the carbonyiation of the aryl or enol triflates in the presence of the opticaly active amino alcohol 504, followed by treatment with thionyl chloride[359]. 

The use of an amperometric detector is emphasized in this experiment. Hydrodynamic voltammetry (see Chapter 11) is first performed to identify a potential for the oxidation of 4-aminophenol without an appreciable background current due to the oxidation of the mobile phase. The separation is then carried out using a Cjg column and a mobile phase of 50% v/v pH 5, 20 mM acetate buffer with 0.02 M MgCl2, and 50% v/v methanol. The analysis is easily extended to a mixture of 4-aminophenol, ascorbic acid, and catechol, and to the use of a UV detector. 

A group of aminoxanthenes, ie, pyra2oloxanthenes, is used as color formers ia pressure or heat-sensitive imaging papers (43). These compounds are colorless, but, upon contact with acidic electron-accepting material, are converted to resonance forms that are lightly colored. An example is stmcture [58294-05-6] (35), which forms upon the condensation of A[,A/-diethyl-y -aminophenol with phthalic anhydride, followed by addition of 6-hydroxyinda2ole ia 80% sulfuric acid (44). 

Bis(benZoxaZol-2-yl) Derivatives. Bis(benzoxazol-2-yl) derivatives (8) (Table 3) aie prepared in most cases by treatment of dicaiboxyhc acid derivatives of the central nucleus, eg, stilbene-4,4Cdicarboxyhc acid, naphthalene-l,4-dicarboxyhc acid, thiophene-2,5-dicarboxyhc acid, etc, with 2 moles of an appropriately substituted o-aminophenol, followed by a ring-closure reaction. These compounds are suitable for the brightening of plastics and synthetic fibers. 

Oxidation H ir Colorant. Color-forming reactions are accompHshed by primary intermediates, secondary intermediates, and oxidants. Primary intermediates include the so-called para dyes, -phenylenediamine, -toluenediamine, -aminodiphenylamine, and p- am in oph en o1, which form a quinone monoimine or diimine upon oxidation. The secondary intermediates, also known as couplers or modifiers, couple with the quinone imines to produce dyes. Secondary intermediates include y -diamines, y -aminophenols, polyhydroxyphenols, and naphthols. Some of the more important oxidation dye colors are given in Figure 1. An extensive listing is available (24,28). 

Resorcinol Derivatives. Aminophenols (qv) are important intermediates for the syntheses of dyes or active molecules for agrochemistry and pharmacy. Syntheses have been described involving resorcinol reacting with amines (91). For these reactions, a number of catalysts have been used / -toluene sulfonic acid (92), zinc chloride (93), zeoHtes and clays (94), and oxides supported on siUca (95). In particular, catalysts performing the condensation of ammonia with resorcinol have been described gadolinium oxide on siUca (96), nickel, or zinc phosphates (97), and iron phosphate (98). 

Electrolytic reductions generally caimot compete economically with chemical reductions of nitro compounds to amines, but they have been appHed in some specific reactions, such as the preparation of aminophenols (qv) from aromatic nitro compounds. For example, in the presence of sulfuric acid, cathodic reduction of aromatic nitro compounds with a free para-position leads to -aminophenol [123-30-8] hy rearrangement of the intermediate N-phenyl-hydroxylamine [100-65-2] (61). 

Aminophenol. This is the most stable of the isomers under atmospheric conditions. It forms white prisms when crystallized from water or toluene. The orthorhombic crystals have a tetramolecular unit and a density of 1.195 g/cm (1.206 and 1.269 also quoted) (15,16) (see Tables 3—5). 

Aminophenol. This compound forms white plates when crystallized from water. The base is difficult to maintain in the free state and deteriorates rapidly under the influence of air to pink-purple oxidation products. The crystals exist in two forms. The a-form (from alcohol, water, or ethyl acetate) is the more stable and has an orthorhombic pyramidal stmcture containing four molecules per unit cell. It has a density of 1.290 g/cm (1.305 also quoted). The less stable P-form (from acetone) exists as acicular crystals that turn into the a-form on standing they are orthorhombic bipyramidal or pyramidal and have a hexamolecular unit (15,16,24) (see Tables 3—5). 

The amino group behaves as a week base, giving salts with both mineral and organic acids. The aminophenols are tme ampholytes, with no 2witterion stmcture hence they exist either as neutral molecules (4), or as ammonium cations (5), or phenolate ions (6), depending on the pH value of the solution. 

The aminophenols are chemically reactive, undergoing reactions involving both the aromatic amino group and the phenoHc hydroxyl moiety, as weU as substitution on the benzene ring. Oxidation leads to the formation of highly colored polymeric quinoid stmctures. 2-Aminophenol undergoes a variety of cyclization reactions. 

Acylation. Reaction conditions employed to acylate an aminophenol (using acetic anhydride in alkaU or pyridine, acetyl chloride and pyridine in toluene, or ketene in ethanol) usually lead to involvement of the amino function. If an excess of reagent is used, however, especially with 2-aminophenol, 0,A/-diacylated products are formed. Aminophenol carboxylates (0-acylated aminophenols) normally are prepared by the reduction of the corresponding nitrophenyl carboxylates, which is of particular importance with the 4-aminophenol derivatives. A migration of the acyl group from the O to the N position is known to occur for some 2- and 4-aminophenol acylated products. Whereas ethyl 4-aminophenyl carbonate is relatively stable in dilute acid, the 2-derivative has been shown to rearrange slowly to give ethyl 2-hydroxyphenyl carbamate [35580-89-3] (26). 

Condensation Reactions. Condensation of substituted ben2aldehydes with 2-aminophenol in the presence of a catalyst (aluminum, iron,... 

Aminophenols are either made by reduction of nitrophenols or by substitution. Reduction is accompHshed with iron or hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. Catalytic reduction is the method of choice for the production of 2- and 4-aminophenol (see Amines BY reduction). Electrolytic reduction is also under industrial consideration and substitution reactions provide the major source of 3-aminophenol. 

Iron Reduction. The reduction of nitrophenols with iron filings or turnings takes place in weakly acidic solution or suspension (30). The aminophenol formed is converted to the water soluble sodium aminopheno1 ate by adding sodium hydroxide before the iron-iron oxide sludge is separated from the reaction mixture (31). Adjustment of the solution pH leads to the precipitation of aminophenols, a procedure performed in the absence of air because the salts are very susceptible to oxidation in aqueous solution. 

The chemical production of aminophenols via the reduction of nitrobenzene occurs in two stages. Nitrobenzene [98-95-3] is first selectively reduced with hydrogen in the presence of Raney copper to phenylhydroxylamine in an organic solvent such as 2-propanol (37). With the addition of dilute sulfuric acid, nucleophilic attack by water on the aromatic ring of /V-phenylhydroxylamine [100-65-2] takes place to form 2- and 4-aminophenol. The by-product, 4,4 -diaminodiphenyl ether [13174-32-8] presumably arises in a similar manner from attack on the ring by a molecule of 4-aminophenol (38,39). Aniline [62-53-3] is produced via further reduction (40,41). 

In an alternative industrial process, resorcinol [108-46-3] is autoclaved with ammonia for 2—6 h at 200—230°C under a pressurized nitrogen atmosphere, 2.2—3.5 MPa (22—35 atm). Diammonium phosphate, ammonium molybdate, ammonium sulfite, or arsenic pentoxide maybe used as a catalyst to give yields of 60—94% with 85—90% selectivity for 3-aminophenol (67,68). A vapor-phase system operating at 320°C using a siUcon dioxide catalyst impregnated with gallium sesquioxide gives a 26—31% conversion of resorcinol with a 96—99% selectivity for 3-aminophenol (69). 

Contaminants and by-products which are usually present in 2- and 4-aminophenol made by catalytic reduction can be reduced or even removed completely by a variety of procedures. These include treatment with 2-propanol (74), with aUphatic, cycloaUphatic, or aromatic ketones (75), with aromatic amines (76), with toluene or low mass alkyl acetates (77), or with phosphoric acid, hydroxyacetic acid, hydroxypropionic acid, or citric acid (78). In addition, purity may be enhanced by extraction with methylene chloride, chloroform (79), or nitrobenzene (80). 

Production figures for the aminophenols are scarce, the compounds usually being classified along with many other aniline derivatives (86). Most production of the technical grade materials (95% purity) occurs on-site as they are chiefly used as intermediate reactants in continuous chemical syntheses. World production of the fine chemicals (99% purity) is probably no more than a few hundred metric tons yearly, at prices of about 45 per kg in 1990. 

Reaction with 1,3-benzenediamine-periodate (91) or with a hypochlorite—alkaline phenol (Berthelot) reagent enables the detection of both 2- and 4-aminophenol, the latter reagent giving distinguishable blue and dark green products, respectively (92). 4-Aminophenol itself has been shown to react in alkaline solution with both the 2- and 3-aminophenol isomers, a reaction exploited for their detection (93). 

More specifically, 2-aminophenol can be detected in solution using an iron(II) sulfate—hydrogen peroxide reagent (94). 3- Aminopheno1 has been analyzed colorimetrically by oxidation in base and subsequent extraction of a violet quinoneimide dye (95). A colorimetric method using... 

The potentiometric micro detection of all aminophenol isomers can be done by titration in two-phase chloroform-water medium (100), or by reaction with iodates or periodates, and the back-titration of excess unreacted compound using a silver amalgam and SCE electrode combination (101). Microamounts of 2-aminophenol can be detected by potentiometric titration with cupric ions using a copper-ion-selective electrode the 3- and... 

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