Benzylamines

Removal of bases from mixtures of bases and neutral compounds. The procedure here is essentially the same as in (i) above. The base is retained by the column. Use a solution of 0 05 g. of benzylamine and o-i g. of mannitol in 100 ml. of water. The effluent contains only mannitol. 

Example. Heat together under reflux 0-5 g. of citric acid, 3 ml. of benzylamine and 015 g. of ammonium chloride for i hour. Cool, shake with about 10 ml. of water and filter off the solid. Recrystallise from ethanol small white crystals m.p. 170 . (M.ps., pp. 543-545 )... 

In general the method is more satisfactory with esters of aromatic acids than with esters of aliphatic acids. Esters of alcohols other than methyl and ethyl are best treated by first converting them into methyl esters thus Heat together under reflux i ml. of the higher ester, 5 ml. of methanol and 0-2 g. of sodium methoxide. [In place of the sodium methoxide, it suffices to add o i g. of metallic sodium to the methanol.] After refluxing, distil off the excess of methanol (b.p, 65 ). The residue is then heated under reflux with benzylamine as described above. 

Example. Heat under reflux 0 5 g. of ammonium benzoate and 1 5 ml. of benzylamine for 1 hour. Shake with water to remove unchanged benzylamine and filter off the benzylamide. Recrystallise from ethanol m.p., 105 . 

C) N-Bensylamides. Amides readily react by interchange with R CONH2 + H.,N CH2CaH5 R CO NH CHgCaHs benzylamine to give benzylamides. 

Note. PRIMARY ALIPHATIC AMINES. The lower amines are gases or low-boiling liquids (b.ps. CHjNH, 7 CiHjNH, 17 CH,(CH2,>,NH 49 (CHg)jCHNHa, 34 ) but may be encountered in aqueous or alcoholic solution, or as their crystalline salts. They are best identified as their benzoyl, or toluene-/>-sulphonyl derivatives (c/. (C) above), and as their picrates when these are not too soluble. This applies also to benzylamine, CjHsCHjNH, b.p. 185 also to ethylenediamine, usually encountered as the hydrate, NHj (CHj)j NH2,HjO, b.p. 116 , for which a moderate excess of the reagent should be used to obtain the di-acyl derivative. (M.ps., pp. 55 55 )... 

H-Benzylamides of acids from esters. Esters are converted into the A-benzylamides of the corresponding acids by heating with benzylamine in the presence of a httle ammonium chloride as catalyst ... 

The reaction (which is essentially the direct aminolysis of esters with benzylamine) proceeds readily when R is methyl or ethyl. Esters of higher alcohols should preferably be subjected to a preliminary methano-lysis by treatment with sodium methoxide in methanol ... 

Reflux a mixture of 1 g. of the ester, 3 ml. of benzylamine and 0 1 g. of powdered ammonium chloride for 1 hour in a Pyrex test-tube fltted with a short condenser. Wash the cold reaction mixture with water to remove the excess of benzylamine. If the product does not crystallise, stir it with a httle water containing a drop or two of dilute hydrochloric acid. If crystallisation does not result, some unchanged ester may be present ... 

Benzylamine may be obtained by the Gabriel synthesis, which depends upon the use of potassium phthalimide. The latter upon heating with benzyl... 

Benzylatnine. Warm an alcoholic suspension of 118-5 g. of finely-powdered benzyl phthalimide with 25 g. of 100 per cent, hydrazine hydrate (CAUTION corrosive liquid) a white, gelatinous precipitate is produced rapidly. Decompose the latter (when its formation appears complete) by heating with excess of hydrochloric acid on a steam bath. Collect the phthalyl hydrazide which separates by suction filtration, and wash it with a little water. Concentrate the filtrate by distillation to remove alcohol, cool, filter from the small amount of precipitated phthalyl hydrazide, render alkaline with excess of sodium hydroxide solution, and extract the liberated benzylamine with ether. Dry the ethereal solution with potassium hydroxide pellets, remove the solvent (compare Fig. //, 13, 4) on a water bath and finally distil the residue. Collect the benzylamine at 185-187° the 3ueld is 50 g. 

The methylation of benzylamine (1) and of ammonia (2) are competitive processes by increasing the proportion of hexamine, the source of ammonia, the yield of benzaldehyde is increased and that of metliylbenzylamine is decreased. 

Chapter IV. a-Chloromethylnaphthalene (IV,23) benzylamine (Gabriel synthesis) (IV,39) i r.N -dialkylanilines (from amines and trialkyl orthophosphates) (IV,42) a-naphthaldehyde (Sommelet reaction) (IV,120) a-phenyl-cinnamic acid (Perkin reaction using triethylamine) (IV,124) p-nitrostyrene (IV,129) p-bromonaphthalene and p naphthoic acid (from 2 naphthylamine-1 -sulphonic acid) (IV,62 and IV,164) diphenic acid (from phenanthrene) (IV,165). 

Oxygenation takes place with peracids. The cyclopalladated benzylamine complex 466 is converted into the salicylaldamine complex 504 by the treatment with MCPBA[456] or /-BuO H[457]. Similarly, azobenzene is oxidized with MCPBA at the ortho position[458]. 

The chelated complex of the benzylamine derivative 505 underwent a remarkable oxidative transformation by treatment with thallium trifluoroace-tate to give narwedine (506) in one step by biomimetic oxidation[459]. 

Debenzylation of benzylamines and benzyl ethers is carried out with ammonium formate[l 13,l 14]. Hydrosilanes are also used for debenzylation[l I5. ... 

The Gabriel synthesis is based on work carried out by Siegmund Gabriel at the Uni versity of Berlin in the 1880s A detailed discussion of each step in the Gabriel synthesis of benzylamine can be found in the October 1975 Journal of Chemical Education (pp 670-671)... 

---