Amines nitrous acid

Some of the most important reactions of amines are brought about by nitrous acid (HONO). The character of the products depends very much on whether the amine is primary, secondary, or tertiary. In fact, nitrous acid is a useful reagent to determine whether a particular amine is primary, secondary, or tertiary. With primary amines nitrous acid results in evolution of nitrogen gas with secondary amines insoluble yellow liquids or solid 7V-nitroso compounds, R2N—N=0, separate tertiary alkanamines dissolve in and react with nitrous acid solutions without evolution of nitrogen, usually to give complex products ... 

The reaction which takes place between dimethylamine and nitrous acid is of importance, as it is an example of a general reaction used to distinguish secondary amines from the other classes of amines. Nitrous acid reacts with dimethylamine and forms a substance which belongs to the class known as nitroso compounds —... 

Rate coefficient calculated from the stoichiometric reactant concentrations present, i.e. Rate = A [Amine][Nitrous Acid]. 

Products (o- and p-nitro isomers, amines + nitrous acid)... 

The most important reaction of the diazonium salts is the condensation with phenols or aromatic amines to form the intensely coloured azo compounds. The phenol or amine is called the secondary component, and the process of coupling with a diazonium salt is the basis of manufacture of all the azo dyestuffs. The entering azo group goes into the p-position of the benzene ring if this is free, otherwise it takes up the o-position, e.g. diazotized aniline coupled with phenol gives benzeneazophenol. When only half a molecular proportion of nitrous acid is used in the diazotization of an aromatic amine a diazo-amino compound is formed. 

Aromatic primary amines differ markedly from aliphatic amines in their reaction with nitrous acid. Thus a cold aqueous solution of mono thylamine hydrochloride reacts with nitrous acid to give mainly the corresponding primary alcohol ... 

In preparing an aqueous sol ution of a diazonium salt, such as benzene-diazonium chloride, it is usual to dissolve the amine in a slight excess (about 2 2 molecular equivalents) of dilute hydrochloric acid (or alternatively to dissolve the crystalline amine hydrochloride in i 2 equivalents of the acid) and then add an aqueous solution of a metallic nitrite. Nitrous acid is thus generated in situ, and reacts with the amine salt to give the diazonium compound. For a successful preparation of an aqueous solution of the diazonium salt, however, two conditions must always be observed ... 

Secondary amines of both the aliphatic and the aromatic series react similarly with nitrous acid, giving nilrosamines ... 

Nitrous acid does not react with aliphatic tertiary amines, such as triethyl-amine, (CaHj)aN, nor does it usually react with aromatic tertiary amines such as triphenylamine, (CaHj)aN, which contain three aryl groups. 

If, however, a tertiary amine has two alkyl groups and also an aryl group having the para position unsubstituted, then the action of nitrous acid is to insert the nitroso group directly into this para position. Dimethylaniline, for example, when treated with nitrous acid readily gives p-nitrosodimethyl-... 

Tertiary amines containing one alkyl and two aryl groups, such as mono-I ncthyldiphenyhiniir.e, Cl l3(C, l l.diX , arc rarely encountered and arc unimportant. They usually react with nitrous acid with the insertion of a nitroso group into only one of the two available para positions monomethyl-diphenylamine thus gives monomethyl-mono - pnitroso-diphenylamine. Cl hj(C.ill .)N C l 1 jXO, or V-nicthyl-p-nitrosodiphcnylaniine. 

Diazonium salts couple readily with aromatic primary amines, giving diazoamino compounds. If for instance an aqueous solution of aniline sulphate is diazotised with a deficiency of nitrous acid, only part of it is converted into benzenediazonium sulphate and the latter then couples with the unchanged aniline to give diazoaminobenzene. The reaction is carried out at the opti-CeHsNHj.HjSO + HONO = CbHsNjHSO, + zHaO... 

The Reaction has the following limitations (i) a compound that can liberate nitrous acid in acid solution is required (e.g., a metallic nitrite or a nitroso-amine, p. 204). (2) Nitrophenols and />-substituted phenols do not give the test. (3) Among the dihydroxyphenols. only resorcinol gives a satisfactory positive test. 

Nitrous acid (NaNO,+ HCl) ow > amine green nitroso com- pound (NaOH) —... 

Secondary amines upon treatment with nitrous acid yield nitrosamiues, which are stable, neutral yellow liquids (or low melting point solids), for example ... 

They are readily hydrolysed by boiling dilute hydrochloric acid and the original amine can be recovered by neutralisation with alkali and steam distillation. Primary aliphatic amines liberate nitrogen with nitrous acid whilst tertiary amines are unaffected. 

Secondary and tertiary amines are not generally prepared in the laboratory. On the technical scale methylaniline is prepared by heating a mixture of aniline hydrochloride (55 parts) and methyl alcohol (16 parts) at 120° in an autoclave. For dimethylaniline, aniline and methyl alcohol are mixed in the proportion of 80 78, 8 parts of concentrated sulphuric acid are added and the mixture heated in an autoclave at 230-235° and a pressure of 25-30 atmospheres. Ethyl- and diethyl-anihne are prepared similarly. One method of isolating pure methyl- or ethyl-aniline from the commercial product consists in converting it into the Y-nitroso derivative with nitrous acid, followed by reduction of the nitroso compound with tin and hydrochloric acid ... 

Tertiary aliphatic - aromatic amines, unlike those of the aliphatic series, react with nitrous acid with the formation of G-nitroso compounds the nitroso group enters almost exclusively in the para position if available, otherwise in the ortho position. Thus dimethylaniline yields />-nitrosodiniethylaniline ... 

Primary aromatic amines differ from primary aliphatic amines in their reaction with nitrous acid. Whereas the latter yield the corresponding alcohols (RNHj — ROH) without formation of intermediate products see Section 111,123, test (i), primary aromatic amines 3neld diazonium salts. Thus aniline gives phcnyldiazonium chloride (sometimes termed benzene-diazonium chloride) CjHbNj- +C1 the exact mode of formation is not known, but a possible route is through the phenjdnitrosoammonium ion tlius ... 

The experimental conditions necessary for the preparation of a solution of a diazonium salt, diazotisation of a primary amine, are as follows. The amine is dissolved in a suitable volume of water containing 2 5-3 equivalents of hydrochloric acid (or of sulphuric acid) by the application of heat if necessary, and the solution is cooled in ice when the amine hydrochloride (or sulphate) usually crystallises. The temperature is maintained at 0-5°, an aqueous solution of sodium nitrite is added portion-wise until, after allowing 3-4 minutes for reaction, the solution gives an immediate positive test for excess of nitrous acid with an external indicator—moist potassium iodide - starch paper f ... 

Some reference to the use of nitrous acid merits mention here. Primary aromatic amines yield diazonium compounds, which may be coupled with phenols to yield highly-coloured azo dyes (see Section IV,100,(iii)). Secondary aromatic amines afford nitroso compounds, which give Liebermann a nitroso reaction Section IV,100,(v). Tertiary aromatic amines, of the type of dimethylaniline, yield p-nitroso derivatives see Section IV,100,(vii). ... 

A special problem arises in the preparation of secondary amines. These compounds are highly nucleophilic, and alkylation of an amine with alkyl halides cannot be expected to stop at any specifle stage. Secondary amides, however, can be monoalkylated and lydrolyzed or be reduced to secondary amines (p. 11 If.). In the elegant synthesis of phenyl- phrine an intermediate -hydroxy isocyanate (from a hydrazide and nitrous acid) cyclizes to pve an oxazolidinone which is monomethylated. Treatment with strong acid cleaves the cyclic irethan. 

Butler recently reviewed the diazotization of heterocyclic amines (317). Reactions with nitrous acid yield in most cases N-exocyclic compounds. Since tertiary amines are usually regarded as inen to nitrosation, this... 

Nitrosation of amines is best illustrated by examining what happens when a sec ondary amine reacts with nitrous acid The amine acts as a nucleophile attacking the nitrogen of nitrosyl cation The intermediate that is formed m the first step loses a pro ton to give an N nitroso amine as the isolated product... 

R—N=N Aryl diazonium 10ns are formed by treatment of primary aromatic amines with nitrous acid They are ex tremely useful in the preparation of aryl halides phenols and aryl cyanides... 

Nitrosation (Section 22 15) The reaction of a substance usu ally an amine with nitrous acid Pnmary amines yield dia zonium 10ns secondary amines yield N nitroso amines Tertiary aromatic amines undergo nitrosation of their aro matic ring... 

Synthesis. The classic laboratory synthesis of /V-nitrosamines is the reaction of a secondary amine with acidic nitrite [14797-65-0] at ca pH 3. The primary nitrosating intermediate is N2O2 arising from nitrous acid [7782-77-6] (48). 

Reaction with Nitrous Acid. Primary, secondary, and tertiary aromatic amines react with nitrous acid to form a variety of products. Primary aromatic amines form diazonium salts. ... 

Dyes. Sodium nitrite is a convenient source of nitrous acid in the nitrosation and diatozation of aromatic amines. When primary aromatic amines react with nitrous acid, the intermediate diamine salts are produced which, on coupling to amines, phenols, naphthols, and other compounds, form the important azo dyes (qv). The color center of the dye or pigment is the -N=N- group and attached groups modify the color. Many dyes and pigments (qv) have been manufactured with shades of the entire color spectmm. 

Synthesis. Almost without exception, azo dyes ate made by diazotization of a primary aromatic amine followed by coupling of the resultant diazonium salt with an electron-rich nucleophile. The diazotization reaction is carried out by treating the primary aromatic amine with nitrous acid, normally generated in situ with hydrochloric acid and sodium nitrite. The nitrous acid nitrosates the amine to generate the N-nitroso compound, which tautomerizes to the diazo hydroxide. 

If primary or secondary amines are used, A/-substituted amides are formed. This reaction is called aminolysis. Hydra2ines yield the corresponding hydra2ides, which can then be treated with nitrous acid to form the a2ides used in the Curtius rearrangement. Hydroxylamines give hydroxamic acids. 

---