Alkyl nitrites

Abstract: The infrared and ultraviolet spectra of 15 alkyl nitrites were studied in the gaseous state. In the infrared, the O–N=O group is characterized by very strong absorption in the three regions 600, 800, and 1650 cm−1, corresponding to O–N=O bending, N–O stretching, and N=O stretching frequencies, respectively. The doubling of the characteristic frequencies and the temperature dependence of the bands of methyl nitrite are explained by rotational isomerism, which appears to be a general property of alkyl nitrites. The influence of the length, shape, and kind of the carbon chain on the frequencies and intensities of the characteristic bands has been studied. The intensity variation of the νN=O bands strongly suggests that the relative abundances of the two isomers vary widely from primary to secondary and tertiary nitrites, but depend only to a small extent upon the length and shape of the carbon chain. Application of this property to the diagnosis of primary, secondary, or tertiary alcohols is suggested.The uv...

Abstract: A technique for studying rapid chemical exchange and reorientation reactions by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques is discussed. A treatment for the general case relating the changes in the proton line width with changes in the frequency of rotation about the O–N bond in the alkyl nitrites is developed. Such a treatent gave fairly accurate potential energy barriers to rotation for methyl, ethyl, n‐propyl, and isopropyl nitrite. A temperature controlling device for low temperatures applicable to proton resonance techniques is discussed.

Abstract: Ascorbate reacts with S-nitrosothiols generally, in the pH range 3–13 by way of two distinct pathways, (a) at low [ascorbate], typically below ≈1 × 10−4 mol dm−3 which leads to the formation of NO and the disulfide, and (b) at higher [ascorbate] when the products are the thiol and NO. Reaction (a) is Cu2+-dependent, and is completely cut out in the presence of EDTA, whereas reaction (b) is totally independent of [Cu2+] and takes place readily whether EDTA is present or not. For S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) the two reactions can be made quite separate, although for some reactants the two reactions overlap. In reaction (a), ascorbate acts as a reducing agent, generating Cu+ from Cu2+, which in turn reacts with RSNO forming initially NO, Cu2+ and RS−. The latter can then play the role of reducing agent for Cu2+, leading to disulfide formation. Ascorbate will initiate reaction when the free thiolate has initially been reduced to a very low level by the synthesis of RSNO from a large excess of nitrous acid over the thiol. Reaction (b) is interpreted in terms of nucleophilic attack by ascorbate at the nitroso-nitrogen atom, leading to thiol and O-nitrosoascorbate which breaks up, by a free-radical pathway, to give dehydroascorbic acid and NO. A similar pathway is the accepted mechanism in the literature for the nitrosation of ascorbate by nitrous acid and alkyl nitrites. The rate constant for the Cu2+ -independent pathway increases sharply with pH and analysis of the variation of the rate constant with pH identifies a reaction pathway via both the mono- and di-anion forms of ascorbate, with the latter being the more reactive. As expected the entropy of activation is large and negative. Some aspects of structure–reactivity trends are discussed.

Abstract: The oxidative reactions using the alkyl nitrites (RONO) as an oxidant have been developed by Ube Industries, Ltd. In the alkyl nitrite reactions, substrates such as CO andyor unsaturated- andyor carbonyl-compounds are oxidized over the palladium catalysts in no direct contact with molecular oxygen. The dimethyl carbonate (DMC), dialkyl oxalates and other useful chemicals are synthesized efficiently under moderate conditions by the alkyl nitrite reactions.