0-Aminophenols

Aminophenols and their derivatives are of commercial importance, both in their own right and as intermediates in the photographic, pharmaceutical, and chemical dye industries. They are amphoteric and can behave either as weak acids or weak bases, but the basic character usually predominates. 3-Aminophenol (2) is fairly stable in air unlike 2-aminophenol (1) and 4-aminophenol (3) which easily undergo oxidation to colored products. The former are generally converted to their acid salts, whereas 4-amiaophenol is usually formulated with low concentrations of antioxidants which act as inhibitors against undesired oxidation. 

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (4th Edition) 

insoluble 1, slightly soluble 2, soluble 3, very soluble.  

Only k absorption bands reported as very strong are included (accuracy 10 cm ) (5,6). 

Values quoted are ion (m/2) followed by relative abundance in parentheses. After m/2 109 and 80, the other ions may vary in abundance order dependent upon conditions employed (10). 

3- 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). 

4- 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 ceU. It has a density of 1.290 g/cm (1.305 also quoted). The less stable P-forni (from acetone) exists as acicular crystals that turn into the CC-form on standing they are orthorhombic bipyramidal or pyramidal and have a hexamolecular unit (15,16,24) (see Tables 3—5). 

Aminophenol NH2C6H4OH has no action on aluminium at room temperature. Certain salts of aminophenol such as the sulphate can decompose in contact with aluminium. 

At room temperature, anisidine NH2C6H4OH has no action. At elevated temperatures, this product can corrode aluminium. 

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Bright yellow needles m.p. 45 C, b.p. 2 4°C. Prepared together with 4-nitrophenol by careful nitration of phenol. Sodium sulphide reduces it to 2-aminophenol which is used in dyestuffs and photographic processes. 

Ditrophenol, -nitropbenol, C H NOj. Colourless needles m.p. 114 C. Prepared as 2-nitrophenol. Reduction with iron and hydrochloric acid gives 4-aminophenol. 

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.)... 

This extremely reactive substance rearranges, in the presence of acids, with the production of />-aminophenol ... 

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. 

Phenacetin may be conveniently prepared in the laboratory from p-amino-phenol. The latter is readily acetylated with acetic anhydride to give p-acetyl-aminophenol this Is ethylated in the form of the sodio derivative to yield acetyl p-phenetidine (phenacetin) ... 

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. 

Supplement (combined 1933 1740-1928 zidine, 314. Triamines, 294. Hydroxy-amines o-Aminophenol, 354. 

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. 

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