Nitrous acid reduction

Starting material for the industrial synthesis of caffeine is dimethylurea as well. Reaction with cyanoacetic acid leads to dimethylaminouracil, which upon reaction with nitrous acid, reduction, and condensation with formic acid gives theophyUine. Methylation with methyl chloride or dimethyl sulfate finally leads to caffeine. 

Secondary and tertiary amines are not generally prepared in the laboratory. On the technical scale methylaniline is prepared by heating a mixture of aniline hydrochloride (55 parts) and methyl alcohol (16 parts) at 120° in an autoclave. For dimethylaniline, aniline and methyl alcohol are mixed in the proportion of 80 78, 8 parts of concentrated sulphuric acid are added and the mixture heated in an autoclave at 230-235° and a pressure of 25-30 atmospheres. Ethyl- and diethyl-anihne are prepared similarly. One method of isolating pure methyl- or ethyl-aniline from the commercial product consists in converting it into the Y-nitroso derivative with nitrous acid, followed by reduction of the nitroso compound with tin and hydrochloric acid ... 

Qualitative Analysis. Nitric acid may be detected by the classical brown-ring test, the copper-turnings test, the reduction of nitrate to ammonia by active metal or alloy, or the nitrogen precipitation test. Nitrous acid or nitrites interfere with most of these tests, but such interference may be eliminated by acidifying with sulfuric acid, adding ammonium sulfate crystals, and evaporating to alow volume. 

Amino groups are formed by reduction of nitro groups in aryl substituents and behave normally (62JCS1671), but when attached directly to the pyridopyridazine ring they may be removed by acid hydrolysis or treatment with nitrous acid, or replaced by hydrazine. 

A -Nitroso derivatives, prepared from secondary amines and nitrous acid, are cleaved by reduction (H2/Raney Ni, EtOH, 28°, 3.5 h CuCl/concd. HCl"). Since many V-nitroso compounds are carcinogens, and because some racemization and cyclodehydration of V-nitroso derivatives of V-alkyl amino acids occur during peptide syntheses, V-nitroso derivatives are of limited value as protective groups. 

M-Hexyl alcohol has been prepared by the reduction of ethyl caproate by means of sodium and absolute alcohoB alone or in anhydrous ammonia solution by the reduction of -caproamide by means of sodium and absolute alcohol by the reduction of -caproaldehyde by means of sodium amalgam in dilute sulfuric acid and by means of living yeast, It has also been produced by the action of nitrous acid upon w-hexylamine by the action of sodium upon a mixture of ethyl alcohol and M-butyl alcohol ... 

Nitric oxide is made commercially by oxidation of ammonia above 500°C in the presence of platinum, or by reduction of nitrous acid with ferrous sulphate or feiTous halides. The physical ... 

A convenient laboratory route involves the reduction of an aqueous solution of nitrous acid or potassium nitrite with bisulfite under carefully... 

Consistent with this NNO can be made from NH4N03, and N NO from NH4 N03. Alternative preparative routes (Fig. 11.9) are the reduction of aqueous nitrous acid with either hydroxylamine or hydrogen azide ... 

Nitric oxide is the simplest thermally stable odd-electron molecule known and, accordingly, its electronic structure and reaction chemistry have been very extensively studied. The compound is an intermediate in the production of nitric acid and is prepared industrially by the catalytic oxidation of ammonia (p. 466). On the laboratory scale it can be synthesized from aqueous solution by the mild reduction of acidified nitrites with iodide or ferrocyanide or by the disproportionation of nitrous acid in the presence of dilute sulfuric acid ... 

The aqueous solution chemistiy of nitrous acid and nitrites has been extensively studied. Some reduction potentials involving these species are given in Table 11.4 (p. 434) and these form a useful summaiy of their redox reactions. Nitrites are quantitatively oxidized to nitrate by permanganate and this reaction is used in titrimetric analysis. Nitrites (and HNO2) are readily reduced to NO and N2O with SO2, to H2N2O2 with Sn(II), and to NH3 with H2S. Hydrazinium salts yield azides (p. 432) which can then react with further HNO2 ... 

Aniline 77 was converted into its diazonium salt with nitrous acid and this was followed by reduction with stannous chloride to afford the corresponding arylhydrazine 78. Condensation of 78 with 3-cyanopropanal dimethylacetal 79 gave the arylhydrazone 80. Treatment of 80 with PPE resulted in cyclization to indole 81. The nitrile group was then reduced to the primary amine by catalytic hydrogenation. Reaction of the amine with excess formalin and sodium borohydride resulted in Imitrex (82). 

Treatment of piperidine with nitrous acid affords the N-nitroso derivative (190) reduction gives the corresponding hydrazine (191). Condensation of this intermediate with the carbamate (192) obtained from p-toluenesulfonamide leads to the oral hypoglycemic agent tolazemide (193). In a similar vein, reaction of the hydrazine obtained by the same sequence from azepine (194) with the carbamate, 188, gives azepinamide (195). ... 

Treatment of the heterocycle, 38 (obtained from ethylene-diamine and carbon disulfide), with nitrous acid affords the N-nitroso compound, 39. Reduction with zinc leads to the corre-... 

Condensation of ethyl acetoacetate with phenyl hydrazine gives the pyrazolone, 58. Methylation by means of methyl iodide affords the prototype of this series, antipyrine (59). Reaction of that compound with nitrous acid gives the product of substitution at the only available position, the nitroso derivative (60) reduction affords another antiinflammatory agent, aminopyrine (61). Reductive alkylation of 61 with acetone in the presence of hydrogen and platinum gives isopyrine (62). Acylation of 61 with the acid chloride from nicotinic acid affords nifenazone (63). Acylation of 61 with 2-chloropropionyl chloride gives the amide, 64 displacement of the halogen with dimethylamine leads to aminopropylon (65). ... 

Replacement of chlorine on the pendant benzoyl group by azide is apparently consistent with antiinflammatory activity. Acylation of indomethacin intermediate with p-nitrobenzoyl chloride leads to the corresponding amide (7). Saponification ( ) followed by reduction of the nitro group gives the amine 9. The diazonium salt (10) obtained on treatment with nitrous acid is then reacted with sodium azide there is thus obtained zidomethacin (11). 

The reduction potential of the nitrate ion is lower than the discharge potential of hydrogen, and therefore hydrogen is not liberated. The nitric acid must be free from nitrous acid, as the nitrite ion hinders complete deposition and introduces other complications. The nitrous acid may be removed (a) by boiling the nitric acid before adding it, (b) by the addition of urea to the solution ... 

Nitrites are the salts of nitrous acid, discovered by Scheele in 1774. The inorganic nitrites, with die general formula M.N02, where M is a metal, are well known. They are all insol in w with the exception of the alkali nitrites. Nitrites may be prepd either by thermal decompn of alkali nitrates 2KN03 2KNOJ + 02 or by reduction of nitrates by C or Pb 2KN03 + C 2KN02 + C02. The lone pair of electrons in the nitrite ion is sterically significant consequently, the nitrite ion is bent ... 

Nitrous acid, the parent acid of the nitrites, has not been isolated in pure form but is widely used in aqueous solution. Nitrites are produced by the reduction of nitrates with hot metal ... 

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