Please, please, please, when you are little bit depressed read this paper : http://innovativejournal.in/index.php/jpro/article/view/678 , it’s a laughing-tears-paper (LTP).
It should have dealt with the conversion of -OH to -NH2 in one pot, or at least the abstract state that.
Now, after the first three lines…. Where the hell the nitrogen come from??? React alcohol, sodium oxide, TsCl and zinc and you will magically get some nitrogen. Amazing.
Ahhhhhh sodium azide, not sodium oxide. Ok, ok, at least now it makes a little bit more sense. Let’s go check the experimental section then:
And here the apotheosis of hilarity… First of all we are back on using sodium oxide but now the zinc disappeared.
Then we are not using 65-70C but we raised a little bit the temperature to 650C.
Then we need to quench few mmol with the fair amount of 5 LITERS of water.
Ok, now we have 5 L of water in the flask, we should deal with it.
What shall we do? Extract it with 25mL of ether!!!
5L of water….. and 25mL of ether….. ok….ok….
Now filter the ether off… well, we cannot really filter it off, are two liquids….
Right, right, then filtur it off. Ok, now makes way more sense, thank you.
Now dry it over unhydrus sodium sulfate, pay attention that it must be unhydrus!!!
No, no please, stop, please stop, I’m dying. Please stop.
And then the last nail in the coffin…….
Purify it with a silica get!!!!
Applause, applause, applause.
And thanks to one of my colleague that sent me this paper, fun for everyone from 6+.