Aqueous formaldehyde reaction

Only half of the aldehyde is reduced to the alcohol, the other half being oxidised to the acid. By using a slight excess (say, 1 -3 mols) of aqueous formaldehyde, practically the whole of the aromatic aldehyde is converted into the alcohol the formaldehyde Is simultaneously oxidised to formic acid. This is sometimes termed a crossed Cannizzaro reaction. The example given is ... 

The tetramethylol derivative of DABT, prepared by reaction of DABT with alkaline aqueous formaldehyde, polymerized readily on cotton. It imparted excellent flame retardancy, very durable to laundering with carbonate- or phosphate-based detergents as well as to hypochlorite bleach. This was accomphshed at low add-on without use of phosphoms compounds or antimony(III) oxide (75—77). 

Hexamethylenetetramine. Pure hexamethylenetetramine [100-97-0] (also called hexamine and HMTA) is a colorless, odorless, crystalline sohd of adamantane-like stmcture (141). It sublimes with decomposition at >200° C but does not melt. Its solubiUty in water varies Htde with temperature, and at 25°C it is 46.5% in the saturated solution. It is a weak monobase aqueous solutions are in the pH 8—8.5 range (142). Hexamethylenetetramine is readily prepared by treating aqueous formaldehyde with ammonia followed by evaporation and crystallisation of the soHd product. The reaction is fast and essentially quantitative (142). 

The nitro alcohols available in commercial quantities are manufactured by the condensation of nitroparaffins with formaldehyde [50-00-0]. These condensations are equiUbrium reactions, and potential exists for the formation of polymeric materials. Therefore, reaction conditions, eg, reaction time, temperature, mole ratio of the reactants, catalyst level, and catalyst removal, must be carefully controlled in order to obtain the desired nitro alcohol in good yield (6). Paraformaldehyde can be used in place of aqueous formaldehyde. A wide variety of basic catalysts, including amines, quaternary ammonium hydroxides, and inorganic hydroxides and carbonates, can be used. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture must be made acidic, either by addition of mineral acid or by removal of base by an ion-exchange resin in order to prevent reversal of the reaction during the isolation of the nitro alcohol (see Ion exchange). 

Precise coatrol of the course, speed, and extent of the reaction is essential for successful manufacture. Important factors are mole ratio of reactants catalyst (pH of reaction mixture) and reaction time and temperature. Amino resias are usually made by a batch process. The formaldehyde and other reactants are charged to a kettie, the pH adjusted, and the charge heated. Often the pH of the formaldehyde is adjusted before a dding the other reactants. Aqueous formaldehyde is most convenient to handle and lowest ia cost. 

Temperatures in excess of 140°C are required to complete the reaction and pressurized equipment is used for alcohols boiling below this temperature provision must be made for venting ammonia without loss of alcohol. The reaction is straightforward and, ia the case of the monomethyl ether of ethylene glycol [109-86-4] can be carried out at atmospheric pressure usiag stoichiometric quantities of urea and alcohol (45). Methylolation with aqueous formaldehyde is carried out at 70—90°C under alkaline conditions. The excess formaldehyde needed for complete dimethylolation remains ia the resia and prevents more extensive usage because of formaldehyde odor problems ia the mill. 

Side-Chain Derivatization. Reaction of thiophene with aqueous formaldehyde solution in concentrated hydrochloric acid gives 2-chloromethylthiophene [765-50-4]. This relatively unstable, lachrymatory material has been used as a commercial source of further derivatives such as 2-thiopheneacetonitrile [20893-30-5] and 2-thiopheneacetic acid [1918-77-0] (24). Similar derivatives can be obtained by peroxide, or light-catalyzed (25) halogenation of methylthiophenes, eg, Ai-bromosuccinimide/benzoylperoxide on 2-, and 3-methylthiophenes gives the corresponding bromomethylthiophenes. 

Cyanuric acid readily dissolves in aqueous formaldehyde forming tris(hydroxymethyl)isocyanurate [10471-40-6] (THMIC) which can be isolated by evaporation (11). THMIC in turn reacts with acetic anhydride to yield tris(acetoxymethyl)isocyanurate [54635-07-3], either thionyl chloride or phosphoms pentachloride to give tris(chloromethyl)isocyanurate [63579-00-0], and phenyl isocyanate in pyridine to yield tris(A/-phenylcarbamoxymethyl) isocyanurate [21253-39-4] in 87% yield (65). Reaction of CA with paraformaldehyde and 2,6-dicyclohexylphenol yields... 

The amine, under the name N,N,N, N -tetramethyl-methylenediamine, may be purchased from Ames Laboratories, South Norwalk, Connecticut. The checkers prepared it by the following procedure. A solution of 60.7 g. (0.75 mole) of 37% aqueous formaldehyde solution is placed in an 800-ml. beaker equipped with a mechanical stirrer and thermometer, and cooled in an ice bath. Two hundred seventy-one grams (1.50 moles) of a 25% aqueous solution of dimethylamine is added to this solution at a rate such that the reaction temperature is kept below 15°. The solution is stirred for 30 minutes after the addition is complete, and potassium hydroxide pellets (approximately 150 g.) are added in portions until the reaction mixture separates into two layers. The upper layer is separated, dried over potassium hydroxide pellets overnight, and distilled to give 59 -64 g. (77-83%) of bis(dimcthylamin())mclliane, b.p. 83 84°. ... 

The formation of complex mixtures of products by a Prins reaction can be a problem. An example is the reaction of aqueous formaldehyde with cyclohexene 8 under acid catalysis ... 

Meerwein s Ester (9) Dimethyl malonate (13.2 g, 0.4 mole) and 6 g of 40 % aqueous formaldehyde solution are mixed in an Erlenmeyer flask and cooled to 0° in an ice bath. To the mixture is added 0.3 g of piperidine and enough ethanol to produce a homogeneous solution. The solution is allowed to stand at 0° for 12 hours, at room temperature for 24 hours, and at 35 0° for 48 hours. The reaction product is washed with water (50 ml) followed by dilute sulfuric acid, then dried (sodium sulfate). Unreacted malonic ester is distilled off under vacuum leaving a residue of about 12.5 g, which contains methylenemalonic ester, methylenebismalonic ester, and hexacarbomethoxypentane. 

In a synthesis of minocycline, interesting use was made of a reductive alkylation of a nitro function, accompanied by loss of a diazonium group. The sequence provides a clever way of utilizing the unwanted 9-nitro isomer that arises from nitration of 6-demethyl-6-deoxytetracycline (//). When di-azotization was complete, urea and 40% aqueous formaldehyde were added, and the entire solution was mixed with 10% palladium-on-carbon and reduced under hydrogen. No further use of this combined reaction seems to have been made. 

Forty-seven grams (0.5 mol) of phenol, 80 mL of 37 wt % aqueous formaldehyde (1.0 mol), and 100 mol of 4 A NaOH were charged to a flask equipped with a reflux condenser and mechanical stirrer. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 h, then heated on a steam bath for 1 h. The mixture was cooled and the pH adjusted to 7.0. The aqueous layer was decanted from the viscous brown liquid product, the wet organic phase was taken up in 500 mL of acetone and dried over anhydrous MgSCL, then over molecular sieves. The dried acetone product solution was filtered and evaporated to yield a water-free light brown syrup. 

Simple imines are poor dienophiles and must be activated by protonation or by attaching an electron-withdrawing group to the nitrogen atom. Scheme 6.10 illustrates the Diels-Alder reactions of benzyliminium ion 25, generated in situ from an aqueous solution of benzylamine hydrochloride and commercial aqueous formaldehyde, with methylsubstituted 1,3-butadienes [22]. This aqueous Diels-Alder reaction combines three components (an aldehyde, an amine... 

The first reported method for the direct phosphonomethylation of amino acids used phosphorous acid and formaldehyde (7). Typically, aqueous solutions of the amino acid, phosphorous acid, and concentrated (coned) hydrochloric acid were heated to reflux with excess aqueous formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde. The reaction proceeded equally well with either primary or secondary amines. However, with primary amines such as glycine, the yield of glyphosate was usually quite low, even at reduced temperature, and 1 1 1 stoichiometry. The resulting glyphosate acid (GLYH3) reacted faster than glycine, so the bis-phosphonomethyl adduct 2 always predominated. With excess phosphorous acid and formaldehyde, good isolated yields of this 2 1 adduct 2 have been obtained (8). 

Also, 1,3-dioxolane was obtained from the reaction of ethylene glycol (EG) and aqueous formaldehyde in high yield using an ion-exchange resin catalyst. In a batch mode of operation, with 50% excess EG, the conversion of formaldehyde is limited to 50% due to equilibrium limitation, whereas in batch reactive distillation, formaldehyde conversion greater than 99%... 

The use of cyclodextrins can allow stereo-, regio-, and optical selectivity, and thus molecular traffic control may be realized (Syamala et al. 1986). It has been claimed that the reaction of phenol with aqueous formaldehyde in the presence of cyclodextrins gives a 3 1 mixture of para to ortho at 38 % conversion in the absence of cyclodextrins, the ratio of para to ortho is around 2 3. 

Selective retro-aldol has also been reported by using aqueous HC1 in THF.243 Recently, catalytic aldol reactions in aqueous media have generated great interest due to the atom-economy related to the reaction. Reaction of 2-alkyl-1,3-diketones with the aqueous formaldehyde using aqueous 6-10 M potassium carbonate as base afforded aldol reaction products, which are cleaved by the base to give vinyl ketones (Eq. 8.96).244... 

This is a deceptively simple question to ask, but one which is quite hard to answer. We have performed titration calorimetry experiments (unpublished) intended to determine the enthalpy of reaction for the reaction of aqueous formaldehyde with polypeptides or proteins, without success. In our experiments, the enthalpy of mixing was much larger than that which could be... 

Assuming that the Final Protein -Formaldehyde Reactions Found After Paraff n-Embedding Are Different from Those Found After Aqueous Fixation, Will Careful Heating in Nonpolar Solvents Assist in the Reversal of These Reactions ... 

Benzylamine (53.5 g, 0.5 mol) and crystalline phosphorous acid (82 g, 1.0 mol) were dissolved in water (100 ml), concentrated hydrochloric acid (100 ml) was added, and the mixture was heated to reflux. Over the course of 1 h, 37% aqueous formaldehyde (160 ml, 2.0 mol) was added dropwise, and the reaction mixture was maintained at reflux for another hour. After cooling, the solvent was evaporated, and the residual syrup was dissolved in hot ethanol. Upon cooling, the crude benzyliminodimethylenediphosphonic acid precipitated and was recrystallized from hot dilute hydrochloric acid to give the pure material (127 g, 85.7%) of mp 248°C, which exhibited analytical data in accord with the proposed structure. 

The addition product of ethyl acetoacetate and methyl a-methoxyacrylate was hydrolyzed, and the resulting dicarboxylic acid was treated with dimethylamine hydrochloride and aqueous formaldehyde. The product of the Mannich reaction was decarboxylated, reesterifed, and finally treated with methyl iodide to supply quaternary salt 469 as the main product. During the above one-pot process, elimination also took place, yielding unsaturated ketone 470, which was later utilized as its hydrogen bromide adduct 471. Reaction of 3,4-dihydro- 3-car-boline either with 469 or 471 furnished the desired indolo[2,3-a]quinolizine derivative 467 as a mixture of two diastereomeric racemates. 

The iminium salt 132, generated from benzylamine hydrochloride and aqueous formaldehyde, reacts with cyclopentadiene during 3 h at room temperature to give, after basification, the cycloadduct 133 in nearly quantitative yield (equation 70). Other examples of this reaction are shown in equations 71-75. The separable diastereomers 134 and 135 are formed in the ratio 4 1 from cyclopentadiene, (—)-a-methylbenzylamine hydrochloride and aqueous formaldehyde in a combined yield of 86% (equation 75)62. Hydrochlorides 136 of methyl esters of natural amino acids [(S )-valine, (S )-isoleucine] react with cyclopentadiene and formaldehyde in aqueous THF to produce mixtures of the diastereomers 137 and 138, in which the former predominate (equation 76)63. 

It has been shown by H naff (1963) that the rate of reaction of several carbonyl reagents (bisulphite, hydrazine, phenylhydrazine, semi-carbazide and hydroxylamine) with aqueous formaldehyde solutions is independent of the nature and concentration of the reagent, and is therefore determined by the rate of dehydration of methylene glycol. He obtained catalytic constants for hydrogen and hydroxide ions, and a detailed study of acid-base catalysis has been made by the same method by Bell and Evans (1966). 

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