Other aromatics

Benzene is an important and common aromatic compound. However, many other aromatic compounds are based on benzene the substituted benzenes. In this section we take a look at the properties and reactions of some of these compounds. 

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Ullman reaction The synthesis of diaryls by the condensation of aromatic halides with themselves or other aromatic halides, with the concomitant removal of halogens by a metal, e.g. copper powder thus bromobenzene gives diphenyl. The reaction may be extended to the preparation of diaryl ethers and diaryl thio-ethers by coupling a metal phenolate with an aryl halide. 

Magnetic circular dicliroism (MCD) is independent of, and thus complementary to, the natural CD associated with chirality of nuclear stmcture or solvation. Closely related to the Zeeman effect, MCD is most often associated with orbital and spin degeneracies in cliromophores. Chemical applications are thus typically found in systems where a chromophore of high symmetry is present metal complexes, poriihyrins and other aromatics, and haem proteins are... 

HMO theory is named after its developer, Erich Huckel (1896-1980), who published his theory in 1930 [9] partly in order to explain the unusual stability of benzene and other aromatic compounds. Given that digital computers had not yet been invented and that all Hiickel s calculations had to be done by hand, HMO theory necessarily includes many approximations. The first is that only the jr-molecular orbitals of the molecule are considered. This implies that the entire molecular structure is planar (because then a plane of symmetry separates the r-orbitals, which are antisymmetric with respect to this plane, from all others). It also means that only one atomic orbital must be considered for each atom in the r-system (the p-orbital that is antisymmetric with respect to the plane of the molecule) and none at all for atoms (such as hydrogen) that are not involved in the r-system. Huckel then used the technique known as linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) to build these atomic orbitals up into molecular orbitals. This is illustrated in Figure 7-18 for ethylene. 

The aliphatic acids are all soluble in cold water. The aromatic acids are very sparingly soluble in cold water, but readily soluble in boiling water. Phthalic acid, having two carboxyl groups, is more soluble than the other aromatic acids in cold water. 

The binding behaviour of benzene can be extrapolated to many other aromatic compounds such as naphthalene and benzene derivativesInterestingly, a large number of probe molecules contain aromatic rings and many of them will prefer the outer regions of micelles, whereas in bilayer systems, the same molecules prefer the interior of the aggregate ". Qearly these probes cannot be used to determine polarity of the micellar interior or the extent of water penetration therein . 

It has already been noted that, as well as alkylbenzenes, a wide range of other aromatic compounds has been nitrated with nitronium salts. In particular the case of nitrobenzene has been examined kinetically. Results are collected in table 4.4. The reaction was kinetically of the first order in the concentration of the aromatic and of the nitronium salt. There is agreement between the results for those cases in which the solvent induces the ionization of nitric acid to nitronium ion, and the corresponding results for solutions of preformed nitronium salts in the same solvent. 

Other aromatic best-sellers in the pharmacy are given below. Syntheses of these compounds are simple and may be outlined by the interested reader himself. The only common open-chain synthetic drug is meprobamate. Its conventional synthesis is given. 

Other aromatic ions include cyclopropenyl cation (two rr electrons) and cycloocta tetraene dianion (ten tt electrons)... 

Many valuable chemicals can be recovered from the volatile fractions produced in coke ovens. Eor many years coal tar was the primary source for chemicals such as naphthalene [91-20-3] anthracene [120-12-7] and other aromatic and heterocycHc hydrocarbons. The routes to production of important coal-tar derivatives are shown in Eigure 1. Much of the production of these chemicals, especially tar bases such as the pyridines and picolines, is based on synthesis from petroleum feedstocks. Nevertheless, a number of important materials continue to be derived from coal tar. 

Polymerization and GycliZation. Acetylene polymerizes at elevated temperatures and pressures which do not exceed the explosive decomposition point. Beyond this point, acetylene explosively decomposes to carbon and hydrogen. At 600—700°C and atmospheric pressure, benzene and other aromatics are formed from acetylene on heavy-metal catalysts. 

Sodium naphthalene [25398-08-7J and other aromatic radical anions react with monomers such as styrene by reversible electron transfer to form the corresponding monomer radical anions. Although the equihbtium (eq. 10)... 

The chemical oil contains ca 50 wt % naphthalene, 6 wt % tar acids, 3 wt % tar bases, and numerous other aromatic compounds. The chemical oil is processed to remove the tar acids by contacting with dilute sodium hydroxide and, in a few cases, is next treated to remove tar bases by washing with sulfuric acid. 

Gas—hquid chromatography is used extensively to determine the naphthalene content of mixtures. Naphthalene can be separated easily from thionaphthene, the methyl- and dimethylnaphthalenes, and other aromatics. Analysis of the various other impurities may require the use of high resolution capillary columns. 

Benzene, toluene, and other aromatics that are easily nitrated can sometimes be nitrated using acids having zero NO/ concentrations (see Fig. 1). Two explanations for this are (/) NO/ is actually present but in concentrations too low to be measured by Raman spectra, and (2) NO/ is hydrated to form H2N0" 2> which is also a nitrating agent. 

Nitrobenzene was first synthesized in 1834 by treating benzene with fuming nitric acid (1), and was first produced commercially in England in 1856 (2). The relative ease of aromatic nitration has contributed significantly to the large and varied industrial appHcations of nitrobenzene, other aromatic nitro compounds, and their derivatives. 

Analytical and Test Methods. o-Nitrotoluene can be analyzed for purity and isomer content by infrared spectroscopy with an accuracy of about 1%. -Nitrotoluene content can be estimated by the decomposition of the isomeric toluene diazonium chlorides because the ortho and meta isomers decompose more readily than the para isomer. A colorimetric method for determining the content of the various isomers is based on the color which forms when the mononitrotoluenes are dissolved in sulfuric acid (45). From the absorption of the sulfuric acid solution at 436 and 305 nm, the ortho and para isomer content can be deterrnined, and the meta isomer can be obtained by difference. However, this and other colorimetric methods are subject to possible interferences from other aromatic nitro compounds. A titrimetric method, based on the reduction of the nitro group with titanium(III) sulfate or chloride, can be used to determine mononitrotoluenes (32). Chromatographic methods, eg, gas chromatography or high pressure Hquid chromatography, are well suited for the deterrnination of mononitrotoluenes as well as its individual isomers. Freezing points are used commonly as indicators of purity of the various isomers. 

Trimesic acid is also referred to as 5-carboxyisophthahc acid [554-95-0] trimesinic acid, or trimesitinic acid. It is a smaH-volume, synthetic chemical and is sold commercially. Traces of trimesic acid as well as other aromatic carboxyUc acids with three or more carboxyUc acid groups are found in lignite (137), and when various types of coals or coal components such as brown coal, asphaltene, or coal-tar pitch are oxidized. 

SolubiHty of the three commercial polysulfones foUows the order PSF > PES > PPSF. At room temperature, all three of these polysulfones as weU as the vast majority of other aromatic sulfone-based polymers can be readily dissolved in a few highly polar solvents to form stable solutions. These solvents include NMP, DMAc, pyridine, and aniline. 1,1,2-Trichloroethane and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane are also suitable solvents but are less desirable because of their potentially harmful health effects. PSF is also readily soluble in a host of less polar solvents by virtue of its lower solubiHty parameter. 

Xylenes. The main appHcation of xylene isomers, primarily p- and 0-xylenes, is in the manufacture of plasticizers and polyester fibers and resins. Demands for xylene isomers and other aromatics such as benzene have steadily been increasing over the last two decades. The major source of xylenes is the catalytic reforming of naphtha and the pyrolysis of naphtha and gas oils. A significant amount of toluene and Cg aromatics, which have lower petrochemical value, is also produced by these processes. More valuable p- or 0-xylene isomers can be manufactured from these low value aromatics in a process complex consisting of transalkylation, eg, the Tatoray process and Mobil s toluene disproportionation (M lDP) and selective toluene disproportionation (MSTDP) processes isomerization, eg, the UOP Isomar process (88) and Mobil s high temperature isomerization (MHTI), low pressure isomerization (MLPI), and vapor-phase isomerization (MVPI) processes (89) and xylene isomer separation, eg, the UOP Parex process (90). 

Although aminyl radicals are stable towards oxygen, they can oxidi2e other aromatic amines, phenols and thiols (10), and regenerate the diarylamine. Thus, mixtures of phenols and diarylamines frequendy show better antioxidant activity than either one alone. This is called synergism. 

MDA reacts similarly to other aromatic amines under the proper conditions. For example, nitration, bromination, acetylation, and dia2oti2ation (1 3) all give the expected products. Much of the chemistry carried out on MDA takes advantage of the diftmctionality of the molecule in reacting with multiftmctional substrates to produce low and high molecular weight polymers. 

Oxa2oles react with dienophiles to give pyridines after dehydration or other aromatization reactions (69,70). A commercially important example is the reaction of a 5-aLkoxy-4-methyloxa2ole with 1,4-butenediol to yield pyridoxine (55), which is vitamin... 

The addition product, C QHgNa, called naphthalenesodium or sodium naphthalene complex, may be regarded as a resonance hybrid. The ether is more than just a solvent that promotes the reaction. StabiUty of the complex depends on the presence of the ether, and sodium can be Hberated by evaporating the ether or by dilution using an indifferent solvent, such as ethyl ether. A number of ether-type solvents are effective in complex preparation, such as methyl ethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, dioxane, and THF. Trimethyl amine also promotes complex formation. This reaction proceeds with all alkah metals. Other aromatic compounds, eg, diphenyl, anthracene, and phenanthrene, also form sodium complexes (16,20). 

U.S. regulations define two types of gin distilled gin and compounded gin. Distilled gin is produced from the original mash or the redistikation of neutral spirits with juniper berries and other botanicals. Distiked gin may retain this labeling as long as juniper berries are present during distikation and other aromatics used in the formula may be added as Hquid concentrates purchased or produced by the distiker. 

The feedstocks to the styrene process are ethylbenzene and superheated steam, and a typical unit produces hydrogen, small amounts of light hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide as gaseous products, and a Hquid product stream containing 95% + styrene and minor amounts of toluene, benzene, and other aromatics. In an integrated plant, the benzene can be recycled to the ethylbenzene unit, while the other by-products usually are consumed as fuel for the highly endothermic process. 

Chloroform reacts with aniline and other aromatic and aliphatic primary amines in alcohoHc alkaline solution to form isonitnles, ie, isocyanides, carbylamines, as shown ... 

This reaction was also extended to other aromatic aldehydes for the preparation of a,P unsaturated carboxyUc acids. Several mechanisms of the reaction have been proposed (45). The most accepted mechanism iavolves the reaction of the aldehyde with the enol form of the acid anhydride which is promoted by the presence of the sodium salt or of another base. The resulting reaction product is then dehydrated iato an unsaturated carboxyUc acid. 

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