PREPARATION OF 2-PHENYL-1, 3-PROPANE DIOL AND ITS DICARBAMATE

Abstract: A method for the preparation of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol dicarbamate which comprises: a) reacting benzaldehyde with a compound selected from hydroxylamine sulphate and hydroxyalmine hydro­ chloride to form benzaldehyde oxime; b) oxidizing the benzaldehyde oxime of step (a) to obtain nitromethylbenzene; c) reacting the nitromethylbenzene obtained in step (b) with formaldehyde to form 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1,3-­ propanediol; d) reducing 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol with hydrogen to form 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol; e) converting 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol to the desired dicarbamate.

Description: This invention relates to the preparation of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol and its dicarbamate. The synthesis of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol dicarbamate has been carried out in accordance with the procedures described in US-A- 2 884 444, namely, the urethane exchange method as follows: Alternatively, the compound may be prepared by reacting 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol with phosgene to form the corresponding di-chlorocarbonate derivative with conversion to the dicarbamate by ammoniation. The methods described in the US-A- 2 884 444 suffer from several drawbacks on which the present inventor as well as chemical manufacturers have expended considerable time and expense in an attempt to improve the synthesis, all variations of which have been unsuccessful until the present invention. The principal drawbacks associated with the synthesis disclosed in US-A 2 844 444 arise from the fact that the starting material employed in the synthesis is 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol obtained by the lithium aluminium hydride reduction of diethyl phenyl malonate. The diethyl phenyl malonate is a relatively expensive material and the lithium aluminium hydride reduction procedure is costly, hazardous and not desirable for tonnage quantities. In Chemical Abstracts, Vol. 60, No. 9, Abstract 10529c there is disclosed reacting arylnitromethane with formaldehyde in the presence of dioxane and Et₃N. In Chemical Abstracts, Vol. 82, No. 25, Abstract 170337a there is disclosed reacting nitromethyl benzene with formaldehyde. In Methoden der Organischen Chemie (Houben-Weyl), Vol. X/l, Part 1 (1971), page 120, there is disclosed oxidation of benzaldoxime to phenylnitromethane in the presence of F₃CCO₃H and acetonitrile. In Methoden der Organischen Chemie (Houben-Weyl) Vol. X/4, Part 4 (1968), pages 55 to 57, there is disclosed the reaction of aldehydes or ketones with hydroxylamine salts to form oximes. It has now been found that the route to 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol dicarbamate provided by the present invention is an economical and less hazardous procedure which readily lends itself to commercial operation. According to the present invention there is provided a method for the preparation of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol dicarbamate which comprises: a) reacting benzaldehyde with a compound selected from hydroxylamine sulphate and hydroxylamine hydrochloride to form benzaldehyde oxime; b) oxidizing the benzaldehyde oxime of step (a) to obtain nitromethylbenzene; c) reacting the nitromethylbenzene obtained in step (b) with formaldehyde to form 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol; d) reducing 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol with hydrogen to form 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol; e) converting 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol to the desired dicarbamate. The preparation of benzaldehyde oxime by reacting hydroxylamine sulphate or hydroxylamine hydrochloride with benzaldehyde is illustrated in Example 1 hereinbelow. It has been optimized to provide a yield of over 95% and has been adapted to large scale production. The preparation of nitromethylbenzene by oxidation of benzaldehyde oxime is illustrated in Example 2 hereinbelow. Under controlled conditions, particularly temperatures of 80°C to 90°C, high yields and a high purity product are obtained. It has been proposed previously to prepare nitromethylbenzene by reacting benzylhalide with silver nitrite or sodium nitrite in dimethyl sulphoxide. Such procedures are expensive and give relatively low yields as well as low purity product. Moreover, the use of dimethyl sulphoxide presents environmental problems. Further, it has been proposed to prepare nitromethylbenzene by the oxidation of benzaldehyde oxime with trifluroacetic acid and a phosphate buffer. This procedure is also expensive and gives low yields. In accordance with the present invention, the oxidation of benzaldehyde oxime is accomplished by using either 30% or 50% hydrogen peroxide or preferably commercial 35% peracetic acid in acetic acid as an oxidizing agent at controlled temperatures of from 80°C to 90°C to obtain high yields of high purity nitromethylbenzene. The further reaction of nitromethylbenzene with formaldehyde to obtain 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol is illustrated in Example 3 hereinbelow. The literature preparation of the nitrodiol involves the reaction of nitromethylbenzene with formaldehyde. However, in accordance with the present invention, the reaction has been modified whereby sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate is used as the catalyst in lieu of the previously preferred sodium hydroxide. This change in catalyst has been found to allow a more controlled addition of the nitro compound to the formaldehyde with a lessening in the amount of polymeric materials formed in side reactions. The most critical aspect of the present synthesis is the removal of the aliphatic nitro group from 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol. Example 4 hereinbelow illustrates this step. Prior to the present invention, there was no known method for the easy removal of an aliphatic nitro group from a molecule. The prior art methods have included reacting a tertiary nitro compound with tributyltinhydride. The latter reagent is very costly and not conducive to large scale production. Another method proposed is the hydrogenation of a benzylnitro compound with palladium on charcoal at 8274 kPa (1200 psi). Debenzylation occurs however, no yield information is available when the reaction was carried out at 8274 kPa (1200 psi). When the reaction was carried out at 345 kPa (50 psi), using palladium on charcoal, a mixture containing debenzylated and amino compounds was formed in quantities which preclude the commercial adaptation of the reaction. In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that the removal of the aliphatic nitro group can be carried out by the hydrogenation of 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol in the presence of palladium on calcium carbonate at 345 kPa (50 psi). The procedure permits the production 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol of high purity in yields of about 80%. The method allows for large scale hydrogenation in standard reactors, capable of sustaining 862 kPa (125 psi). There is therefore a preferred pressure range of 345 kPa (50 psi) to 862 kPa (125 psi). The final reaction of the present synthesis is the conversion of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol to the desired dicarbamate. This step is illustrated in Example 5 hereinbelow. The use of phosgene to convert diols to dicarbamates is well known in the prior art. However, such prior art procedures require the presence of an acid acceptor such as, for example dimethylaniline. In accordance with the present invention, ethers, for example, ethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran, replace the prior art acid acceptors thereby allowing the reaction to be run in solution with no precipitates to be separated and no necessity to recover and purify the acid acceptor. The method of the present invention is quantitative and precludes contamination of the final product. Moreover, the synthesis is readily adaptable to commercial scale since the solution is easily pumped into ammonium hydroxide and removal of the organic solvents easily accomplished by distillation under reduced pressure. To describe the synthesis of the present invention more particularly, the following non-limiting examples will serve to illustrate the novel synthesis in its preferred embodiments. EXAMPLE 1 BENZALDEHYDE OXIME 943 g. (5.75 moles) of hydroxylamine sulphate are placed in a 12 litre flask with 1166 g. (11 moles) of benzaldehyde, 250 ml. of methanol and 5900 ml. of water. The mixture is stirred and chilled to 10°C in an ice bath. 960 g. (12 mole) of 50% sodium hydroxide are added to the mixture gradually over a period of one hour while the temperature of the mixture is maintained below 25°C with cooling. The mixture is stirred until the reaction is complete (approximately one hour). The mixture is neutralized to pH 7.0 with acetic acid. The lower oxime layer is separated and the aqueous layer is extracted with 2 litres of toluene. The oxime layer and toluene extract are washed twice with 1 litre of water. The toluene is stripped and 1307 g. of the oxime at 98% purity for a 95% yield is obtained. EXAMPLE 2 NITROMETHYLBENZENE 184.1 g. (1.51 mole) of benzaldehyde oxime and 185 ml. of glacial acetic acid are placed in a 3 litre 3 neck flask. The mixture is stirred and heated to 80°C. A solution of 344.1 g. (1.65 mole) of 36.6% peracetic acid and 19 g. of sodium acetate trihydrate is added at a rate such that the temperature is maintained between about 80° and about 90°C. Stirring is continued at 85°C for about 3-1/2 hours until there is no oxime. The reaction mixture is chilled to 25°C and one litre of water is added and the mixture stirred well and the oil which forms, is separated. The aqueous layer is extracted twice with 200 ml. of methylene chloride. The aqueous extract is combined with the oil layer and washed twice with 600 ml. of water and once with 600 ml. of 5% sodium bicarbonate solution, washed again with 400 ml. of water, and dried over sodium sulphate and concentrated to a light orange oil. The yield is 173.5 g. (84%) of 97% pure material by GC. EXAMPLE 3 2-NITRO-2 PHENYL-1, 3-PROPANEDIOL 100 g. (0.73 mole) of nitromethylbenzene, 131.5 g. (1.61 mole) of 37% formaldehyde and 1.8g of sodium carbonate monohydrate are placed in a 500 ml. beaker equipped with a mechanical stirrer. The mixture is stirred, the temperature rises to 38°C and is maintained at 38°C by using a cold water bath. After 1-1/2 hours, crystals begin to form. The mixture is diluted with 210 ml. of ice water and stirred at 10°C for about 2 hours. The mixture is filtered and the filtrate washed with water. The damp cake is placed back in the beaker and 280 ml. of ice water is added. The mixture is stirred for 1 hour, filtered and air dried overnight. The solid is stirred with 250 ml. of toluene for about 1 hour at 10°C and filtered, then washed with cold toluene and dried. The yield is 112.6g of nitrophenyldiol (78%), M.P. 96-97.5°C. EXAMPLE 4 2-PHENYL, 3-PROPANEDIOL 12 g. (0.06 mole) of 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol, 400 mg. of 5% palladium on calcium carbonate and 150 ml. of methanol are placed in a Parr hydrogenator bottle and reduced with hydrogen overnight. The mixture is filtered through Celite (Trade Mark), concentrated to an oil and recrystallized from 30 ml. of toluene. The yield is 7.4 g. (80%) of product, M.P. 52-4°C. EXAMPLE 5 2-PHENYL-1 3-PROPANEDIOL-DICARBAMATE 30.4 g. (0.2 mole) of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol is dissolved in 100 ml. toluene and 35 g. of tetrahydrofuran at room temperature. 30 ml. of phosgene (0.44 mole) is passed into the solution while maintaining the temperature below 25°C. The solution is stirred for about 1 hour at room temperature after the phosgene addition. The tetrahydrofuran solution is dripped into 140 ml. of concentrated NH₄OH held at 0°C. Additional water, i.e. 100 ml may be added to improve the stirring. Stirring is continued for 1-1/2 hours at room temperature and concentrated in vacuo on a steam bath to remove most of the tetrahydrofuran. 150 ml. of water is added and the mixture stirred for 1 hour at room temperature. The mixture is filtered, the filtrate washed with water and dried in vacuo at 50°C. Yield 46 g. M.P. 149-151°C of crude dicarbamate (96.6%). Recrystallizastion from 450 ml. of methanol yields 36 g. of dicarbamate (75.6%). It should be understood that the above examples are illustrative of the best mode of the invention herein. Given the present disclosure, it is anticipated that numerous variations will occur to those skilled in the art. A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features.

Claims: A method for the preparation of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol dicarbamate which comprises: a) reacting benzaldehyde with a compound selected from hydroxylamine sulphate and hydroxylamine hydrochloride to form benzaldehyde oxime; b) oxidizing the benzaldehyde oxime of step (a) to obtain nitromethylbenzene; c) reacting the nitromethylbenzene obtained in step (b) with formaldehyde to form 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol; d) reducing 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol with hydrogen to form 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol; e) converting 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol to the desired dicarbamate. A method according to claim 1, wherein benzaldehyde is reacted with hydroxylamine sulphate. A method according to claim 1, wherein benzaldehyde is reacted with hydroxylamine hydrochloride. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the oxidation of benzaldehyde oxime to nitromethylbenzene is performed using hydrogen peroxide, or peracetic acid in acetic acid. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the oxidation of benzaldehyde oxime to nitromethylbenzene is performed to 80°C to 90°C. A method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reaction of the nitromethylbenzene with formaldehyde is performed in the presence of sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate as catalyst. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reduction of 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol, is carried out at a pressure of 345kPa (50 psi) to 862 kPa (125 psi). A method according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reduction of 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol is carried out in the presence of a palladium on calcium carbonate catalyst. A method according to claim 1 wherein said conversion of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol to the corresponding dicarbamate is carried out in solution containing an ether selected from ethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran. A method according to claim 5 wherein said solution is a solution of tetrahydrofuran and toluene. The preparation of 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol which comprises the steps of: a) reacting benzaldehyde with a compound selected from the group consisting of hydroxylamine sulphate and hydroxylamine hydrochloride to form benzaldehyde oxime; b) oxidizing the benzaldehyde oxime of step a to obtain nitromethylbenzene; c) reacting the nitromethylbenzene obtained in step b with formaldehyde to form 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol; d) reducing 2-nitro-2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol with hydrogen to form 2-phenyl-1, 3-propanediol.

Inventors: STIEFEL, FRANK J.
Applicants: CARTER-WALLACE INC.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: C07C271
IPC codes: C07C33, C07C271