Jmap science - 25-1-2014 at 07:52
Finding organic chemistry experiments can be difficult. I recently purchased naphthaline and dichlorobenzene. Do you know any compounds I can make
from these. I have been doing organic chemistry for 2 months.
One compound I would like to make is naphthanol or 1-hydroxyphenol. I know if you nitrate naphthaline you can them reduce it to a amine. I have a
magnetic stirs, beakers, flasks, distillation equipment.
plante1999 - 25-1-2014 at 08:01
You can easily make the mono nitro NAPHTHALENE. You could then reduce it with tin to the amine and nitrosate it to make the diazonium salt, and
decompose it to the hydroxy compound.
Another way could be sulphation and molten base threatement to get the desired hydroxy compound.
Mailinmypocket - 25-1-2014 at 08:17
Naphthalene can be sulfonated and used to make sodium 1 and 2 naphthalene sulfonate. Then you can go from there via alkali fusion to 1 and 2 naphthols
which are useful in various syntheses. A nice project is fiesers naphthol yellow "challenge" which can be found in google to make 6-7 dyes starting
from the naphthols. Search the forum for "synthesis of 1 and 2 naphthols" user benzylchloride did a nice write up in there.
I believe there is also a thread by magpie about the preparation of martius yellow. Just keep in mind that alkali fusions are very dangerous as you
are dealing with molten KOH, but appropriate safety gear makes it relatively safe.
Making neat dyes from mothballs, who would have thought 
Lambda-Eyde - 25-1-2014 at 08:32
I don't think fusions with molten alkali are suitable experiments for someone completely new to organic chemistry. I'm also afraid that the
dichlorobenzene (commonly found in mothballs) is relatively useless for experimentation.
Mailinmypocket - 25-1-2014 at 08:52
I missed the part about two months doing o-chem... Still, on a small scale behind a glass shield it isn't that bad. Depends on how much attention to
detail and planning ahead of time is put into it I suppose. The products are all solids which makes work up quite simple for a beginner... And the
colors are nice...just something to think about since jmap mentioned building a fume hood in another thread.
My recent martius yellow 
[Edited on 25-1-2014 by Mailinmypocket]
Bot0nist - 25-1-2014 at 15:09
I don't have much experience doing organic chemistry, but a personal favorite is the sulfanation and nitration of recrystalized aspirin tablets all
the way to TNP. It is trivial enough that most anyone can do it, but tricky enough to provide a challenge. It is also relatively safe, as long as you
mind the temps and nitration fumes.
Paddywhacker - 25-1-2014 at 23:12
The production of naphthylamines by, for example, the reduction of nitro-naphthylenes is a very big no-no. 2-naphthylamine used to be available a
couple of generations ago but it is no longer manufactured because of its carcinogenicity.
papaya - 26-1-2014 at 01:45
I wonder if there's a doable way from naphtalene to phtalic acid(anhydride), and then to go with common luminol synthesis. Will dichromate work for
oxidation?