Alkali metals Group production

The elements of Group 5 are in many ways similar to their predecessors in Group 4. They react with most non-metals, giving products which are frequently interstitial and nonstoichiometric, but they require high temperatures to do so. Their general resistance to corrosion is largely due to the formation of surface films of oxides which are particularly effective in the case of tantalum. Unless heated, tantalum is appreciably attacked only by oleum, hydrofluoric acid or, more particularly, a hydrofluoric/nitric acid mixture. Fused alkalis will also attack it. In addition to these reagents, vanadium and niobium are attacked by other hot concentrated mineral acids but are resistant to fused alkali. 

The yielded product can be converted to a surface-active compound if at least one ester group has been transformed to the free acid or an alkali metal salt thereof [160]. There are also many compounds from phosphinic acid derivatives claimed to be useful as sequestrants and builders to improve detergency, especially bisphosphonylmethylphosphinic acids and polyphosphinic acids [structures (9) and (10)], respectively ... 

The principal product of the reaction of the alkali metals with oxygen varies systematically down the group (Fig. 14.15). Ionic compounds formed from cations and anions of similar radius are commonly found to he more stable than those formed from ions with markedly different radii. Such is the case here. Lithium forms mainly the oxide, Li20. Sodium, which has a larger cation, forms predominantly the very pale yellow sodium peroxide, Na202. Potassium, with an even bigger cation, forms mainly the superoxide, K02, which contains the superoxide ion, O,. ... 

Brighteners are applied to cotton by methods similar to direct dyes. By far the most common are triazinyl derivatives of diaminostilbenedisulphonic acid (DAS) of general formula 11.5, where M is an alkali metal, ammonium or alkylammonium cation. Examples of groups Ilj and R2 are shown in Table 11.1. Most suppliers of FBAs market such compounds, often called DAST brighteners. Products in this class have sometimes been marketed because the supplier needed to offer something different for commercial reasons, or to avoid infringing a competitor s patent, rather than for any real technological necessity. 

The alkoxide group R is chosen so that the heavier alkali metal alkoxide MOR is soluble in ether or hydrocarbon solvents and so the by-product LiOR may easily be separated from the desired heavier alkali metal phosphide/arsenide (which is often insoluble in weakly or noncoordinating solvents such as ethers and hydrocarbons). 

Hydrogen can be derived from water by means of the alkali and alkali earths groups of metals, but since all these are expensive, the production of hydrogen from these sources is limited to the requirements of the chemical laboratory. 

Then, contrary to our previous hypothesis, the reaction proceeds via a Bai2 displacement of aniline on DMC. The product, mono-A -methyl aniline (PhNHMe), plausibly adsorbs into the zeohte in a different way with respect to anihne, because different H-bonds (N H — O-zeolite) take place with the solid. As recently reported by Su et al., A-methyl amines also may interact with NaY by H-bonding between the protons of the methyl group and the oxygen atoms of the zeolite this probably forces the molecule a bit far from the catalytic surface in a fashion less apt to meet DMC and react with it. This behavior can account for the mono-A-methyl selectivity observed, which is specific to the use of DMC in the presence of alkali metal exchanged faujasites in fact, the bis-A-methylation of primary aromatic amines occurs easily with conventional methylating agents (i.e., dimethyl sulfate). ... 

At the outset of our studies of the reactivity of I and II, it was necessary to investigate claims that tertiary henzamides were inappropriate substrates for the Birch reduction. It had been reported that reduction of A,A-dimethylbenzamide with sodium in NH3 in the presence of tert-butyl alcohol gave benzaldehyde and a benzaldehyde-ammonia adduct. We formd that the competition between reduction of the amide group and the aromatic ring was strongly dependent on reaction variables, such as the alkali metal (type and quantity), the availability of a proton source more acidic than NH3, and reaction temperature. Reduction with potassium in NH3-THF solution at —78 °C in the presence of 1 equiv. of tert-butyl alcohol gave the cyclohexa-1,4-diene 2 in 92% isolated yield (Scheme 3). At the other extreme, reduction with lithium in NH3-THF at —33 °C in the absence of tert-butyl alcohol gave benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol as major reaction products. ... 

Nitroalkanols are intermediate compounds that are used extensively in many important syntheses 142). They can be converted by hydrogenation into / -aminoalcohols, which are intermediates for pharmacologically important chemicals such as chloroamphenicol and ephedrine. They are obtained by Henry s reaction by the condensation of nitroalkanes with aldehydes. The classical method for this transformation involves the use of bases such as alkali metal hydroxides, alkoxides, Ba(OH)2, amines, etc. 142-144). However, these catalysts give predominantly dehydrated products—nitroalkenes— which are susceptible to polymerization (Scheme 16). The reaction proceeds by the nucleophilic addition of the carbanion formed by the abstraction of a proton from the nitro compound to the carbon atom of the carbonyl group, finally forming the nitroaldol by abstraction of a proton from the catalyst. 

This type of alkoxylation chemistry cannot be performed with conventional alkali metal hydroxide catalysts because the hydroxide will saponify the triglyceride ester groups under typical alkoxylation reaction conditions. Similar competitive hydrolysis occurs with alternative catalysts such as triflic acid or other Brpnsted acid/base catalysis. Efficient alkoxylation in the absence of significant side reactions requires a coordination catalyst such as the DMC catalyst zinc hexacyano-cobaltate. DMC catalysts have been under development for years [147-150], but have recently begun to gain more commercial implementation. The use of the DMC catalyst in combination with castor oil as an initiator has led to at least two lines of commercial products for the flexible foam market. Lupranol Balance 50 (BASF) and Multranol R-3524 and R-3525 (Bayer) are used for flexible slabstock foams and are produced by the direct alkoxylation of castor oil. 

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