Diazomethane from nitroso compounds

Carbenes from Diazo Compounds. Decomposition of diazo compounds to form carbenes is a quite general reaction that is applicable to diazomethane and other diazoalkanes, diazoalkenes, and diazo compounds with aryl and acyl substituents. The main restrictions on this method are the limitations on synthesis and limited stability of the diazo compounds. The smaller diazoalkanes are toxic and potentially explosive, and they are usually prepared immediately before use. The most general synthetic routes involve base-catalyzed decomposition of V-nitroso derivatives of amides, ureas, or sulfonamides, as illustrated by several reactions used for the preparation of diazomethane. 

Diazomethane is a valuable and useful agent in organic synthesis that can be employed as a Ci building block in many single-step chemical reactions, for example, the methylation of alcohols or phenols, esteriflcations of carbonic adds, cyclopropanation reactions with alkenes, the synthesis of heterocycles, and the synthesis of a-diazoketones from acid chlorides or anhydrides. In general, the reactions proceed with release of nitrogen. Usually, diazomethane is freshly prepared from N-methyl-nitroso compounds and aqueous KOH solution and can be stored as a cooled solution for a couple of days. However, its low boiling point... 

The method of De Boer and Backer makes use of AT-methyl-N-nitroso-p-toluenesulfonamide as the source of diazomethane [25,30-32]. The starting material is available from suppliers of specialty organic chemicals, it is reasonably stable at room temperature, and it seems to give fewer allergic reactions than some of the other nitroso compounds used in the preparation of diazomethane. It is believed to have a lower degree of carcinogenicity than many of the other proposed intermediates [33]. 

A method involving SPE was developed for the determination of ten A-nitroso amino acids in cured meat products. These compounds were derivatized with diazomethane followed by O-acylation of hydroxyl groups with acetic anhydride-pyridine reagent. The methyl esters and their acylated derivatives were separated by GC on a DB-5 fused silica capillary column and quantified with a TEA-CLD specific for the nitric oxide derived from the thermal denitrosation of nitrosamines recovery exceeded 75% at the 10 ppb level579. 

These compounds are potentially carcinogenic. Diazomethane should preferably be generated from -methyl- -nitroso-p-toluenesulphonamide. 

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