Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Lab prep of Dimethyl Urea

Saber - 15-5-2009 at 12:56

Has anybody found a lab prep of Dimethyl urea?
I presume reating urea with Dimethyl Sulphate wont do it...
thanks,

smuv - 15-5-2009 at 14:43

There are two dimethylureas. I will assume you mean sym-dimethylurea because I know how to make that.
Quote:
Methylated Urea A mixture of 13.5 g. of methylamine hydrochloride and 6 g. of
urea was heated for 1 hour at 160-170'. The mass was extracted with boiling absolute
alcohol and filtered for the removal of undissolved ammonium chloride. The alcohol
solution was evaporated in a vacuum nearly to dryness, More ammonium chloride
separated. This was removed by filtration and rinsed with ice cold absolute alcohol.
Crystallization of the liquors yielded 6.9 g. of sym-dimethylurea, as colorless flakes,
m. p., 99.5-100°; yield, 78.4%.


J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1916, 38 (11), 2503-2505

If you do it, post it, I have been planning to give this reaction a try...to make methylamides...

Next time post questions like this in beginnings. As a rule if you have not done any experiment or any research (essentially done nothing) and ask a question put it in beginnings.

Nicodem - 16-5-2009 at 10:31

Again somebody who believes there are mind readers on this forum. Saber, how is anybody to know which dimethyl urea you want?
Quote: Originally posted by smuv  

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1916, 38 (11), 2503-2505

I think the correct reference from which that citation originates is Journal of the American Chemical Society, 45 (1923) 1816-1820. The paper was already uploaded in some other thread of this forum if I remember correctly.