Nitropropanes

Table 5.4 gives the specific energies of selected organic liquid compounds. Compared with the isooctane chosen as the base reference, the variations from one compound to another are relatively small, on the order of 1 to 5%, with the exception of some particular chemical structures such as those of the short chain nitroparaffins (nitromethane, nitroethane, nitropropane) that are found to be energetic . That is why nitromethane, for example, is recommended for very small motors such as model airplanes it was also used in the past for competitive auto racing, for example in the Formula 1 at Le Mans before being forbidden for safety reasons. 

Note.—A secondary nitro-paratfin, such as a nitropropane, (CH3)2CHN02, when similarly treated gives a pseudo-nitrol, which dissolves in chloroform,... 

The simpler nitrop>arafIins (nitromethane, nitroethane, 1- and 2-nitroproj)ane) are now cheap commercial products. They are obtained by the vapour phase nitration of the hydrocarbons a gaseous mixture of two mols of hydrocarbon and 1 mol of nitric acid vapour is passed through a narrow reaction tube at 420-476°. Thus with methane at 476° a 13 per cent, conversion into nitro methane is obtained ethane at 420° gives a 9 1 mixture of nitroethane (b.p. 114°) and nitromethane (b.p. 102°) propane at 420° afifords a 21 per cent, yield of a complex mixture of 1- (b.p. 130-6°) and 2-nitropropane (b.p. 120°), nitroethane and nitromethane, which are separated by fractional distillation. 

In this preparation, phenyi-2-nitropropene is reduced to phenyl-2-nitropropane with sodium borohydride in methanol, followed by hydrolysis of the nitro group with hydrogen peroxide and potassium carbonate, a variety of the Nef reaction. The preparation is a one-pot synthesis, without isolation of the intermediate. 

Nitroethane and 1-(3,4 methylenedioxy) 2- nitropropane This method of producing the above mentioned nitro compounds is by far the best Ritter has come across yet The problem with standard nitroethane synthesis is that the -NO2 source most commonly used is silver nitrite (a la Merck Index citing). Needless to say, this is going to be an expensive compound to make as it is not available commercially but must be synthesized from costly silver nitrate. The other methods mentioned in Vogels 5th masterpiece... 

A solution of gramine (87,3 mg, 0,50 mmol) and 2-nitropropane (33.7 mg, 0.38 mmol) in CHjCN (3 ml) was treated with -Bu3P (18.6 mg, 0.l4mmol). The mixture was refluxed for 4 h. The solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue was acidified with 0.5N aq. HCl and extracted with 95 5 CHjClj-MeOH. The extract was washed with brine and dried (Na2S04). The solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue purified by TLC to yield 138.5 mg (99% yield) of the product. 

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