Ethylanilines

Note on the laboratory preparation of monoethylaniline. Although the laboratory preparation of monomethyl- or monoethyl-aniline is hardly worth whUe, the following experimental details may be useful to those who wish to prepare pure monoethylaniline directly from amline. In a flask, fitted with a double surface reflux condenser, place 50 g. (49 ml.) of aniline and 65 g. of ethyl bromide, and boU gently for 2 hours or until the mixture has almost entirely sohdified. Dissolve it in water and boil off the small quantity of unreacted ethyl bromide. Render the mixture alkaUne with concentrated sodium hydroxide solution, extract the precipitated bases with three 50 ml. portions of ether, and distil off the ether. The residual oil contains anihne, mono- and di-ethylaniline. Dissolve it in excess of dilute hydrochloric acid (say, 100 ml. of concentrated acid and 400 ml. of water), cool in ice, and add with stirring a solution of 37 g. of sodium nitrite in 100 ml. of water do not allow the temperature to rise above 10°. Tnis leads to the formation of a solution of phenyl diazonium chloride, of N-nitrosoethylaniline and of p-nitrosodiethylaniline. The nitrosoethylaniline separates as a dark coloured oil. Extract the oil with ether, distil off the ether, and reduce the nitrosoamine with tin and hydrochloric acid (see above). The yield of ethylaniline is 20 g. 

Methylaniline Ethylaniline n-Propylaniline n-Butylaniline Benzylaniline 2 -MethyIbenzylamine N-Ethylbenzylamine 2 -Methyl o-toluidine N-Methyl m-toluidine 2 -MethyI p-toluidine N-Ethyl o-toIuidine N-Ethyl m-toIuidine 2S -Ethyl p-toluidine 2 -MethyI a-naphthylamine N-Methyl p-naphthylamine N-Phenyl- a-naphthylamine 2 -Phenyl-P-naphthylamine... 

The aniline then reacts with the ap-unsaturated aldehyde by 1 4-addition the addition product, under the influence of strong acid, cyclises to form 1 2-dihydroquinaldine. The latter is dehydrogenated by the condensation products of aniline with acetaldehyde and with crotonaldehyde simultaneously produced ( .c., ethylideneaniline and crotonylideneaniline) these anils act as hydrogen acceptors and are thereby converted into ethylaniline and n-butyl-aniline respectively. 

Formic acid is a good reducing agent in the presence of Pd on carbon as a catalyst. Aromatic nitro compounds are reduced to aniline with formic acid[100]. Selective reduction of one nitro group in 2,4-dinitrotoluene (112) with triethylammonium formate is possible[101]. o-Nitroacetophenone (113) is first reduced to o-aminoacetophenone, then to o-ethylaniline when an excess of formate is used[102]. Ammonium and potassium formate are also used for the reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds. Pd on carbon is a good catalyst[103,104]. NaBH4 is also used for the Pd-catalyzed reduction of nitro compounds 105]. However, the ,/)-unsaturated nitroalkene 114 is partially reduced to the oxime 115 with ammonium formate[106]... 

Other catalysts that can be used are boron trifluoride (5), copper—chromium oxides (6), phosphoric acid (7), and siUca-alurnina (8). Under similar conditions, ethanol yields /V-ethylaniline [103-69-5] and /V,/V-diethylaniline [91-66-7] (9,10). 

The normal boiling point of /V-ethylaniline is 204°C. Therefore, steam distillation makes possible the distillation of /V-ethylaniline at atmospheric pressure at a temperature of 99.15°C instead of its normal boiling point of 204°C. Commercial appHcations of steam distillation include the fractionation of cmde tall oil (qv) (84), the distilling of turpentine (see Terpenoids), and certain essential oils (see Oils, essential). A detailed calculation of steam distiUation of turpentine has been reported (85). 

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