UNITED STATES PATENT Orricsg. 2,623,904 Nrrao ALDEHYDES and Preraaarion TPEREGF Curtis W
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Patented Dec. 30, ‘1952 2,623.04 UNITED STATES PATENT orricsg. 2,623,904 nrrao ALDEHYDES AND PRErAaArioN _ TPEREGF Curtis W. Smith, ‘Berke ley, Calif., assignor to Shell Development Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application December 3, 1948, Serial No. 63,455 13 Claims. (Cl. 260-601) substituent group is directly linked to an- all This invention relates to organic compounds phatic carbon atom to which there is also direct and to a process for the preparation of organic ly attached an atom of hydrogen, nitro-aldehydes compounds. rather than nitro-alcohols, are produced. ' More particularly, the invention relates to The alpha-methylidene aldehydes are those nitrmaldehydes and to a process for the prepara aldehydes which have directly linked to the car tion of nitro-aldehydes. The invention also re bon atom in the alpha position relative to the lates to a new and unexpected reaction of ‘un formyl group a methylidene radical (CI-I2=),. saturated aldehydes with organic nitro com Thus, they are the alpha, beta-ole?nic aldehydes pounds whereby the nitro-aldehydes of the in in which the remaining valences of thecarbon vention may be prepared. atom in the beta position are satis?ed byatoms It has been discovered that nitro-aldehydes of hydrogen. The alpha-methylidene aldehydes may be prepared by condensing alpha-methyli may also be described by means of the formula dene aldehydes with nitro-substituted compounds wherein a nitro substituent group is directly linked to an aliphatic carbon atom to which there is also directly attached an atom of hydrogen. It is known from U. S. Patent 2,332,482 to Deger in which R is a hydrogen atom or a substituent ing et 2.1., October 19, 1943, that when croton group or atom other than hydrogen, for exam aldehyde is condensed with various nitro ple, a hydrocarbon radical, such'as an alkyl, aryl, paraf?ns in the presence of mildly alkaline cata cycloalkyl, aralkyl, or an alkaryl group. Par lysts there are obtained unsaturated nitro, ticularly available and preferred are the all alcohols. It also is well-known that saturated phatic alpha-methylidene aldehydes, such as aldehydes such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein itself and its alpha-alkyl substitution butyraldehyde, as well as various aromatic alde products, 1. e. z-propenal and the‘ 2-alkylprope hydes and even various halogen-substituted satu ,nals. Acrolein thus is represented by the fore rated aldehydes, when condensed with nitro going formula when R represents a hydrogen paraii‘ins in the presence of mildly alkaline cata atom. The alpha-alkyl acroleins, or the 2 lysts, react with the nitro-paraflins to form nitro alkylpropenals, are represented by the foregoing alcohols. Representative disclosures of processes formula when R. represents an alkyl group, within the latter category may be found in the .310 exemplary alkyl groups being methyl, ethyl, following patents; ' Fpropyl, isopropyl, butyl, secondary butyl, tertiary U. S. 2,132,330 to Vanderbilt, October 4, 1938 butyl, the pentyl groups, the hexyl groups, the U. S. 2,132,352 to Hass and Vanderbilt, October heptyl groups, the octyl groups, and analogous and homologous straight or branched chain alkyl 4, 1938 ' U. S. 2,132,353 to Bass and Vanderbilt, October groups. Representative aliphatic alpha-methyl idene aldehydes include in addition to acrolein, 4, 1938 ‘ alpha-substituted acroleins, such as methacro U. S. 2,135,444 to Vanderbilt, November 1, 1938‘ -‘ lein, alpha-‘ethacrolein, alpha-propyl acrolein, U. S. 2,139,120 to Hass and Vanderbilt, December alpha-isopropyl acrolein, alpha-isobutyl acrolein, 6, 1938 ' 40 Hass and Vanderbilt, December I alpha-t-butyl acrolein, alpha-pentyl acrolein, U. S. 2,139,121 to alpha-neopentyl acrolein and their homologs and 5, 1938 . - - U. S. 2,146,060 to Ellis, February '7, 1939 analogs. U. S. 2,231,403 to Wyler, February 11, 1941 __ The organic nitro compounds with which British 473,143, to I. G. Farbenindustrie Aktienge alpha-methylidene aldehydes are'condensed ac ‘_ cording to the invention to form nitro-aldehydes sellschaftbOctober 6, 1937- » ' ‘ . a nitro group (N02) directly linked'to - contain The nitro-aldehydes produced by the process of ‘an aliphatic carbon atom to which there‘ is also the invention are readily distinguishable from directly linked at least one atom of hydrogen. the nitro alcohols thus heretofore prepared. In ‘Because of their availability and the excellent view of the known reactions of saturated and .50 yields of desired products obtainable therefrom aromatic aldehydes, and even‘of the ole?nic alde the organic nitro compound ordinarily will be hyde, crotonaldehyde, with organic nitro com a nitro-para?in having at least one hydrogen pounds, it indeed was surprising to discover that, 'atom directly linked to the. carbon atom bearing when alpha-methylidene aldehydes are ' con the~ nitro group. Representative " nitro-para?ins 'densed according to the process of the invention which may be employed are nitro-methane, nitro --withenitro-substituted compounds’wh'er'éin a] nitro 2,623,904 3 ethane, l-nitrop'ropane, 2-nitropropane, l-nitro butane, 2-nitrobutane, I-nitrO-Z-methylpropane, Formation of undesired resinous or polymeric l-nitropentane, 2-nitropentane, 3-nitropentane, products may be further minimized or substan 1-nitro-3-methylbutane, l-nitro-Z-methylbutane, tially obviated by conducting the condensation in 2-nitro-3-methylbutane, 2-nitrooctane, 3-nitro the presence of any of the known polymeriza hexane, and analogous and homologous nitro tion inhibitors which prevent the polymeriza parailins. Although the nitro-paraf?ns will ordi tion of alpha-methylidene aldehydes. Only small narily be unsubstituted, nitro-paranins which amounts of polymerization inhibitor, if one is contain one or more non-interfering substituent employed, need be used. Based upon the com groups (examples thereof being aryl, cycloalkyl, bined weight of the reactants, as little as 0.01% alkoxy, carbohydro-carbyloxy, acyloxy, halogen, of the polymerization inhibitor may be employed etc.) may be reacted with alpha-methylidene al while as much as 10% or more may be used if dehydes according to the invention to produce desired. The optimum amount in any particu— correspondingly substituted nitro ~ aldehydes. lar case will be determined in part by the par While more than one nitro group may be pres ticular alpha-methylidene aldehyde that is to be ent in the nitro-para?in and while the nitro employed and in part upon the identity of the group or groups may be linked to either a primary polymerization inhibitor used. Representative or a secondary carbon atom, the secondary mono polymerization inhibitors or anti-oxidants which nitro-alkanes are particularly preferred, i. e., the may be employed include, without being limited nitro-alkanes wherein the carbon atom to which ‘ to, phenolic compounds, quinone , amines, nitro the nitro group is attached has directly bonded aryl compounds, alkylol amines, inorganic ma to it, in addition to the nitro group, one hydro terials such as elemental sulfur, selenium, cop gen atom and two carbon atoms. per, and compounds thereof, as Well as suitable According to the invention it has been discov organic compounds thereof. Hydroquinone is ered that nitro-aldehydes may be prepared in = highly effective as the polymerization inhibitor. high yields biy condensing a1plia~methylidene Other polymerization inhibitors which may be aldehydes with organic nitro compounds in which employed include, without being limited to, resor the nitro group is directly linked to an aliphatic sinol, pyrogallol, orcinol, guaiacol, ethanol amine, carbon atom having at least one hydrogen atom nitro phenol, nitroso phenol, and many others. directly bonded thereto, in liquid phase, prefer- ' For the preparation of the desired nitro alde~ ably in the presence of a mildly alkaline catalyst hydes it is essential to employ the two reactants and under conditions which minimize polymer in such proportions that there is present less ization of the alpha-methylidene aldehyde and than two mols of nitro compound per mol of the which minimize or prevent the formation of res alpha-methylidene aldehyde. The reactants inous products from the reactants employed. preferably are employed in substantially molecu The alpha-methylidene aldehydes are noted for larly equivalent proportions. The nitro com their great tendency to form polymers or resins, pound may be employed in moderate excess, say particularly in the presence of alkaline materials, up to about 1.2 mols per mol of the alpha-meth and for their tendency to condense with other ylidene aldehyde, although as the amount of the nitro compound is increased abovean amount compounds to form high molecular weight com 40 plex resinous or polymeric materials. The for equivalent to the alpha-methylidene aldehyde the mation of undesired resinous or polymeric mate ef?ciency of the process is reduced and reduced rials in the execution of the process of the pres yields of the desired nitro aldehydes are obtained. ent invention may be minimized or substantially The alpha-methylidene aldehyde may be pres obviated and formation of the desired nitro-alde ent in an amount greater than equivalent to the hydes may be obtained, by conducting the reac 45 organic nitro compound reactant, for example, tion in liquid phase in an inert organic solvent up to 4 or 5 or even more mols of the alpha-meth mediumv consisting essentially of one or more ylidene aldehyde per mol of the organic nitro organic solvents in which the reactants are solu compound. When the organic nitro compound ble. Aqueous media are undesirable because of reactant contains more than one hydrogen atom the great tendency of the alpha-methylidene a1 50 directly attached to the nitro-substituted carbon dehydes to form therein polymers or other un atom, nitro-polyaldehyde compounds may be pre- desired products, particularly in the presence pared.