44- On the 



Meth 



:tion of Mercurou 

 Benzyl Chloride. 



By Panchanan Neogi, M.A., Professor of Chemistry, Rajshahi 



College, and Birendra Bhusan Adhikary, M.A. 



* 



The Aliphatic Nitro-Compounds were originally prepared 

 by Victor Meyer (B. 5.399; A. 171, 1 ; 175, 88) by the interac- 

 tion of Silver Nitrite on the Alkyl Iodides. Attempts were 

 made to replace Silver Nitrite by means of Lead Nitrite, but 

 without success. Ray has, however, shown that by the inter- 

 action of Mercurous Nitrite and Ethyl Iodide both Nitro-Ethane 

 and its Isomer, Ethyl-Nitrite are formed in equal quantities 

 (Amialen, Bd. 316, 253). Ray and Neogi (Proc. Chem. Soc, 

 1907, 246) have also succeeded in preparing considerable quan- 

 tities of many Aliphatic Nitro-Compounds by using Mercurous 

 Nitrite in the place of the Silver Compound. Ray and Neogi 

 (Trans. Chem. Soc. 1906, 1900) have also prepared Aliphatic 

 Nitro-Compounds by the interaction of the Alkali Salts of Ethyl 

 Sulphuric Acid and the Alkali Nitrites. Phenyl-Nitro-Methane, 

 the aromatic analogue of Nitro- Methane, was prepared by 

 Gabriel (1885) by the interaction of Silver Nitrite on Benzyl 

 Chloride. Gabriel and Kopp (B. 18, 1254; 19, 1145) have also 

 prepared the same compound by the action of acids upon the 

 Di-Sodio-Derivative of Nitro- Benzyli dine phthalide. In this 

 paper we have prepared Phenyl-Nitro-Methane by the inter- 

 action of Mercurous Nitrite on Benzyl Chloride. Experiments 

 are progressing for the preparation of Phenyl-Nitro-Methane 

 by the interaction of the Alkali Salts of Toluene-exo-SuIphonic 

 Acid and Alkali Nitrites. 



Experimental. — In order to compare the yields of Phenyl- 

 Nitro-Methane formed by the respective use of Silver and 

 Mercurous Nitrites we have prepared the compound by both 

 the methods. 



Interaction between Silver Nitrite and Benzyl 



Chloride . 



70 grams of dry Silver Nitrite were mixed with about 30 

 grams of white sand and heated with 56 grams of Benzyl Chlo- 

 ride on a water-bath in a flask with an upright spiral conden- 

 ser. Large quantities of nitrous fumes due to the formation 

 of Nitric Oxide were evolved and a lighted match present- 

 ed to the exit end of the condenser did not cause the 



