Org. Synth. 1923, 3, 33
DOI: 10.15227/orgsyn.003.0033
o-CHLOROTOLUENE AND p-CHLOROTOLUENE
[Toluene, o-chloro- and p-chloro-]
Submitted by C. S. Marvel and S. M. McElvain.
Checked by Oliver Kamm
1. Procedure
(A) Preparation of Cuprous Chloride Solution (Note 1).—A solution of 1250 g. (5 moles) of crystallized copper sulfate and 325 g. (5.6 moles) of sodium chloride in 4 l. of hot water is prepared in a 12-l. flask. The flask is fitted with a mechanical stirrer, and an alkaline solution of sodium sulfite (265 g. of sodium bisulfite and 175 g. of sodium hydroxide in 2 l. of water) is added during a period of five to ten minutes. The mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature and washed by decantation. The cuprous chloride is obtained as a white powder, which, however, darkens on exposure to the air. The crude product is dissolved in 2 kg. of commercial 28 per cent hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.14) and the solution is used in the following preparation (Note 2).
(B) o-Chlorotoluene.—In a 10-l. stone jar fitted with a mechanical stirrer are placed 2 kg. (1755 cc.) of commercial 28 per cent hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.14) and 428 g. (427 cc., 4 moles) of o-toluidine. The mixture is cooled to 0° by adding cracked ice (about 1 kg. is required). The o-toluidine hydrochloride separates as a finely divided precipitate. The stirrer is started, and to the cold suspension is added a solution of 280 g. (4.05 moles) of sodium nitrite in 800 cc. of water; the diazotization is carried out at 0–5° and requires about fifteen minutes. Cracked ice is added from time to time to keep the temperature within the proper limits. The volume of the final solution is 5–6 l.
While the diazotization is being carried out the cuprous chloride solution (A) is cooled to 0°. The cold diazonium solution is now poured rapidly into the well-stirred cuprous chloride solution. The solution becomes very thick, owing to the separation of an addition product between the diazonium salt and the cuprous chloride. The cold mixture is allowed to warm up to room temperature, and stirring is continued for two and one-half to three hours at this temperature (Note 3). When the temperature reaches about 15°, the solid addition compound begins to break down with the formation of nitrogen and o-chlorotoluene. After the specified time the solution is placed on a steam bath and heated to 60° to complete the decomposition of the addition product. The o-chlorotoluene forms a layer on top of the copper salt solution. The water solution is drawn off through a siphon until only 5–6 l. remains. The remaining material is steam-distilled from a 12-l. round-bottomed flask (Note 4) until about 3.5–4 l. is collected in the distillate. The o-chlorotoluene layer is separated from the water, washed with cold concentrated sulfuric acid (Note 5) and then with water, and finally dried over calcium chloride. The product boiling at 155–158° weighs 375–400 g.
74–79 per cent of the theoretical amount).
(C) p-Chlorotoluene.—p-Chlorotoluene is prepared in exactly the same way starting with p-toluidine. The yields are 70–79 per cent of the theoretical amount of a product which boils at 158–162° and melts at 4–7°.
2. Notes
1.
The
cuprous chloride solution prepared as described is more satisfactory and less expensive than one prepared by reducing
cupric chloride with
copper turnings.
2.
If less
cuprous chloride is used the yield is lowered. It seems desirable to use 1 mole of
cuprous chloride (CuCl) to 1 mole of diazonium salt. Increasing the amount of
cuprous chloride beyond this point does not improve the yield.
3.
The literature directions usually call for mixing the diazonium solution and the
cuprous chloride solution at about 30–40°. This procedure gives a yield considerably lower than that obtained by mixing the solutions cold and allowing to warm up gradually. If the mixture obtained by adding the
diazonium solution to the
cuprous chloride solution is heated at once, the yield falls to
55–65 per cent.
4.
The steam distillation can be conveniently carried out in the apparatus described on
p. 479.
5.
The treatment with
sulfuric acid is necessary to remove
cresol and a trace of azo compound that usually colors the crude product and cannot be removed by distillation.
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3. Discussion
o-Chlorotoluene can be prepared by the action of
chlorine1 and of
sulfuryl chloride2 on
toluene in the presence of various catalysts; by the chlorination of
p-toluenesulfonyl chloride followed by hydrolysis;
3 and by the diazotization of
o-toluidine followed by replacement of the
diazonium salt group by
chlorine.
4
p-Chlorotoluene can be prepared by the action of
chlorine5 and of
sulfuryl chloride6 on
toluene in the presence of various catalysts, and by the diazo reaction with
p-toluidine.
7
This preparation is referenced from:
Appendix
Chemical Abstracts Nomenclature (Collective Index Number);
(Registry Number)
diazonium salt
copper salt
diazonium solution
Toluene, o-chloro- and p-chloro-
calcium chloride (10043-52-4)
sulfuric acid (7664-93-9)
hydrochloric acid (7647-01-0)
sodium sulfite (7757-83-7)
sodium hydroxide (1310-73-2)
sodium chloride (7647-14-5)
nitrogen (7727-37-9)
copper sulfate (7758-98-7)
sodium nitrite (7632-00-0)
sodium bisulfite (7631-90-5)
copper turnings (7440-50-8)
sulfuryl chloride (7791-25-5)
chlorine (7782-50-5)
toluene (108-88-3)
cuprous chloride (7758-89-6)
cupric chloride (7447-39-4)
o-Chlorotoluene (95-49-8)
p-Chlorotoluene (106-43-4)
cresol (95-48-7)
p-toluidine (106-49-0)
o-toluidine (95-53-4)
p-Toluenesulfonyl chloride (98-59-9)
o-toluidine hydrochloride (636-21-5)
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