3,684,432 United States Patent Office Patented Aug. 15, 1972 2 3,684,432 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION WEAKACD SALTS OF HYDROXYLAMINE We have found unexpectedly that stable hydroxylamine John Henry Bonfield, Basking Ridge, N.J., assignor to Salts of certain very weak acids, i.e., those having dissocia Allied Chemical Corporation, New York, N.Y. tion constants of less than 1 x 106, can be prepared. No Drawing. Filed Sept. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 859,585 These compounds are useful to form oximes from their nt. C. C91b. 25/00 corresponding ketones in high yield without the need for U.S. C. 423-284 2 Claims neutralization of the reaction mixture and the consequent formation of undesirable salts. ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUIRE 0 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Weak acid salts of hydroxylamine of the formula The compositions of the invention have the formula NH2OH-HX wherein HX represents an acid or cation exchange resin having an acid dissociation constant of less than 1 x 106. These salts are useful in the prepara wherein HX represents a weak acid having a dissociation tion of ketoximes from ketones, especially the preparation 15 constant less than 1 x 106. The compounds and their of cyclohexanone oxime from cyclohexanone. aqueous solutions or dispersions are stable on storage. Weak acids suitable for use in preparing the composi tions of the invention include for example boric acid (dis CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED Sociation constant, hereinafter referred to as K, of APPLICATIONS 20 2x 1010); carbonic acid (K, 4.3x10-i, K. 5.6X 10-11); This application is related to copending application of hydrocyanic acid (K 7.2 x 1010); hypochlorous acid (K John Henry Bonfield, "Preparation of Oxime’ Ser. No. 3.5X108); phenol (K 1.3 x 1010); phenolphthalein (K 859,298 filed Sept. 19, 1969. 2X100); stannic acid (K 4x1010); telluric acid (K1 This invention relates to novel hydroxylamine salts. 25 6x10", Ka 2x 108); and the like. Weakly acid ion More particularly, this invention relates to stable hy eXchange resins can also form stable hydroxylamine salts, droxylamine salts of weak acids having a dissociation con as for example Amberlite IRC-50, a cation exchange resin stant of less than 1X106. of Rohm and Haas Co. having free carboxyl groups, Zeo Karb 226 of Permutit Co., Ltd., Duolite CS-100 of BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 30 Chemical Process Co. and equivalent cation exchange Hydroxylamine is a well known reducing agent and is resins. Thus, the compositions described above are meant employed in the formation of oximes from aldehydes and to include both hydroxylamine salts of weak acids and ketones, particularly in the formation of cyclohexanone hydroxylamine salts of weakly acid ion exchange resins. oxime from cyclohexanone, which oxime is a valuable The hydroxylamine salts of the invention can be pre precursor in the synthesis of e-caprolactam. Since hy 35 pared readily and simply in conventional manner in vari droxylamine is unstable, it is usually employed as an acid ous ways. They can be prepared directly from hydroxyl salt, generally the sulfuric acid salt. The acid which is amine by contacting an aqueous solution of hydroxyl liberated by the reaction of the acid salt with a ketone amine with the weak acid or weak acid resin or prefer must be neutralized, as with ammonia, in order to obtain ably, by conducting the hydroxylamine generating reac a high conversion to the desired oxime. The following 40 tion in the presence of the weak acid or weak acid resin. equations, directed to cyclohexanone, are illustrative of Hydroxylamine can be generated in known manner by this two-step reaction, wherein NH-OHHA represents the reduction of nitroparaffins, by the electrolytic reduc the acid salt. tion of nitric acid, or by the catalytic reduction of oxides of nitrogen with hydrogen. (1) O The hydroxylamine salts of Formula 1 can also be pre 1 NOH pared from strong acid salts of hydroxylamine, as by NHOT.F.A. -- -- HO - FIA reacting a strong acid salt with a weak acid in the pres ence of a reagent that will precipitate the strong acid liberated during the reaction as an insoluble salt, and (2) HA -- NH3 + H2O - NH4A -- H2O 50 filtering off the strong acid salt. This reaction is preferably Thus in addition to the desired oxime, the neutraliza carried out at ambient temperatures, but temperatures up tion step also produces an ammonium salt, usually am to the reflux temperature of the solution can be employed monium sulfate, as a by-product. Although widely used if short residence times are used. as a fertilizer, in recent years this salt has not been com The hydroxylamine weak acid salt solution can be em mercially attractive and poses a disposal problem. There 55 ployed directly, without the need for isolating or further fore, a process for preparing oximes without formation purifying the solution. However, if desired the weak acid of an inorganic salt by-product is desirable. hydroxylamine salts can be purified, as by removal of DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART water and precipitation with an inert nonsolvent, such as methanol. U.S. Pat. 3,429,920 to DeRooj discloses a process for 60 Hydroxylamine salts of weakly acid ion exchange resins preparing oximes from aldehydes or ketones and a hy can be prepared from strong acid salts by reacting the resin droxylamine salt of acids having a dissociation constant with an aqueous solution of the strong acid salt, adding a of from 2x 101 to 2X 10-6 in the presence of a soluble reagent, such as an alkali metal hydroxide, that will form salt of the same acid to form a buffer solution. The acid a water soluble salt of the strong acid and separating the produced during the reaction is partly neutralized, and 65 resin from the solution. The resin can be washed with somewhat less salt is formed during the reaction than in water to remove any residual strong acid salt. the conventional sulfuric acid salt process. However, in The compositions of the invention are useful as analyti order to produce a high yield of oxime, ammonia must cal reagents and as a stable source of hydroxylamine. still be added to form a nearly neutral solution and thus They are particularly useful in the preparation of oximes by-product salts are still formed. The patentee states that 70 from their corresponding ketones, because the resultant hydroxylamine salts of acids having dissociation constants reaction mixture does not require neutralization to ob of less than 2x 106 are unstable. tain a high yield of the oxime and thereby the formation 3,684,432 3 4. of undesirable by-product salts is avoided. The weak acid droxide as a 25% aqueous solution were added dropwise liberated during the reaction can be recovered for re while stirring and cooling. After one hour, the resinous. cycle to form additional weak acid hydroxylamine salts product was filtered and washed with water. of the present invention. The use of the present com The resinous product (473 parts) was found to con positions in the formation of oximes is described more tain about 50% of theory of hydroxylamine. fully in a copending application of the present inventor Example 3 entitled “Preparation of Oxime’ Ser. No. 859,298, filed Sept. 19, 1968. One hundred parts of hydroxylamine borate prepared The invention will be further illustrated by the follow as in Example 1 is dissolved in 900 parts of water and ing examples, but the invention is not meant to be limited O 98 parts of pure cyclohexanone is added while maintaining to the details disclosed therein. In the examples, all parts the temperature at 25-30 C. After a short induction and percentages are by weight. period, a copious precipitate forms, which is filtered and washed with water. Example 1 A 98 yield of the cyclohexanone oxime product is A solution of 315.5 parts of barium hydroxide octa 5 obtained (111 parts) upon drying under vacuum. hydrate in 750 parts of water was warmed to 70-80 C. The filtrate is treated with a glycerol-base titration to and added to a solution containing 124 parts of boric determine the amount of boric acid released during the acid and 164 parts of hydroxylamine sulfate reaction. Essentially quantitive yields are recovered. The (NHOH). HSO4) boric acid is suitable for recycle to form additional hy 20 droxylamine borate. in 750 parts of water, also preheated to 70-80 C. The I claim: mixture was stirred for one-half hour and the precipi 1. A composition of the formula NHOH.HX wherein tated barium sulfate filtered off. The filtrate was HX is boric acid. concentrated at 30-35 mm. pressure until crystallization 2. An aqueous solution of the composition of claim 1. began. The solution was warmed to redissolve the pre cipitate and the product precipitated with methanol. The 25 References Cited precipitate was filtered, washed with methanol and dried. UNITED STATES PATENTS The hydroxylamine borate product had the formula NHOH-HBO and an acid dissociation constant of 2,749,27 6/1956 Deutschman ------ 23-190. A 7.3X10-10. Analysis showed the product contained 3,429,920 2/1969 De Rooij -------- 23-190 A 35.25% of hydroxylamine. The product was appreciably 3) 3,226,446 12/1965 Drain et al. ----- 260-621. R. soluble in water and formed a 6.4% solution at 20 C., 3,375,273 3/968 Drain et al. 260-62. R. a 9.5% solution at 30° C. and a 14.0% solution at 40 C. These solutions were stable on storage.