Acetaldehyde, reaction with ammonia form pyridine

Reactions with Ammonia and Amines. Acetaldehyde readily adds ammonia to form acetaldehyde—ammonia. Diethyl amine [109-87-7] is obtained when acetaldehyde is added to a saturated aqueous or alcohoHc solution of ammonia and the mixture is heated to 50—75°C in the presence of a nickel catalyst and hydrogen at 1.2 MPa (12 atm). Pyridine [110-86-1] and pyridine derivatives are made from paraldehyde and aqueous ammonia in the presence of a catalyst at elevated temperatures (62) acetaldehyde may also be used but the yields of pyridine are generally lower than when paraldehyde is the starting material. The vapor-phase reaction of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and ammonia at 360°C over oxide catalyst was studied a 49% yield of pyridine and picolines was obtained using an activated siHca—alumina catalyst (63). Brown polymers result when acetaldehyde reacts with ammonia or amines at a pH of 6—7 and temperature of 3—25°C (64). Primary amines and acetaldehyde condense to give Schiff bases CH2CH=NR. The Schiff base reverts to the starting materials in the presence of acids. 

The reaction of ethanol with ammonia on zeolite catalysts leads to ethylamine. If, however, the reaction is carried out in the presence of oxygen, then pyridine is formed [53]. MFI type catalysts H-ZSM-5 and B-MFI are particularly suitable for this purpose. Thus, a mixture of ethanol, NH3, H2O and O2 (molar ratio 3 1 6 9) reacts on B-MFI at 330 °C and WHSV 0.17 h 1 to yield pyridine with 48 % selectivity at 24 % conversion. At 360 °C the conversion is 81% but there is increased ethylene formation at the expense of pyridine. Further by-products include diethyl ether, acetaldehyde, ethylamine, picolines, acetonitrile and CO2. When applying H-mordenite, HY or silica-alumina under similar conditions pyridine yields are very low and ethylene is the main product. The one-dimensional zeolite H-Nu-10 (TON) turned out to be another pyridine-forming catalyst 54]. A mechanism starting with partial oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde followed by aldolization, reaction with ammonia, cyclization and aromatization can be envisaged. An intriguing question is why pyridine is the main product and not methylpyridines (picolines). It has been suggested in this connection that zeolite radical sites induced Ci-species formation. 

It is probable, however, that hydrolytic destruction of ketoximes to ketones and ammonia forms with acetaldehyde pyridines according to the Chichibabin scheme under the reaction conditions. 

The iV-alkylation was considered to occur by the reaction of the carbonyl compounds, formed by the dehydrogenation of alcohols over the catalyst, with the hydrogenation products of pyridine,25 as suggested by Schwoegler and Adkins, who obtained good yields of /V-alkylpiperidines by the reaction of piperidine with alcohols.26 Maruoka et al. obtained a higher maximal yield of the iV-ethylated product in ethanol over Raney Co than over Raney Ni in the hydrogenation of 5-ethyl-2-methylpyridine (eq. 12.16),23 an alkylated pyridine prepared industrially by the reaction of acetaldehyde with ammonia. 

A powerful oxidizer. Explosive reaction with acetaldehyde, acetic acid + heat, acetic anhydride + heat, benzaldehyde, benzene, benzylthylaniUne, butyraldehyde, 1,3-dimethylhexahydropyrimidone, diethyl ether, ethylacetate, isopropylacetate, methyl dioxane, pelargonic acid, pentyl acetate, phosphoms + heat, propionaldehyde, and other organic materials or solvents. Forms a friction- and heat-sensitive explosive mixture with potassium hexacyanoferrate. Ignites on contact with alcohols, acetic anhydride + tetrahydronaphthalene, acetone, butanol, chromium(II) sulfide, cyclohexanol, dimethyl formamide, ethanol, ethylene glycol, methanol, 2-propanol, pyridine. Violent reaction with acetic anhydride + 3-methylphenol (above 75°C), acetylene, bromine pentafluoride, glycerol, hexamethylphosphoramide, peroxyformic acid, selenium, sodium amide. Incandescent reaction with alkali metals (e.g., sodium, potassium), ammonia, arsenic, butyric acid (above 100°C), chlorine trifluoride, hydrogen sulfide + heat, sodium + heat, and sulfur. Incompatible with N,N-dimethylformamide. 

Like 2,2 - and 2,3 -bipyridines, 2,4 -bipyridine is formed by a number of reactions where one of the pyridine rings is built up from simpler components. Thus 4-(aminomethyl)pyridine with acetylene or acetaldehyde at 450"C affords 2,4 -bipyridine and 4-cyanopyridine reacts with acetylene at 120 C under pressure in the presence of a cobalt catalyst to give 2,4 -bipyridine in over 90% yield. 4-Acetylpyridine with acrolein and ammonia in the presence of dehydrating and dehydrogenating catalysts also gives 2,4 -bipyridine. A number of minor routes to 2,4 -bipyridine are worthy of... 

The gas phase acid-catalyzed synthesis of pyridines from formaldehyde, ammonia and an alkanal is a complex reaction sequence, comprising at least two aldol condensations, an imine formation, a cyclization and a dehydrogenation (9). With acetaldehyde as the alkanal, a mixture of pyridine and picolines (methylpyridines) is formed. In comparison with amorphous catalysts, zeolites display superior performance, particularly those with MFI or BEA topology. Because formation of higher alkylpyridines is impeded in the shape-selective environment, the lifetime of zeolites is much improved in comparison with that of amorphous materials. Moreover, the catalytic performance can be enhanced by doping the structure with metals such as Pb, Co or Tl, which assist in the dehydrogenation. 

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