Recently I finished preparing a nice batch of nitrobenzene from benzene and am planning to reduce it to aniline, but ran into a problem where the only
video I've seen on the process uses a lot of equipment that I don't have like a mechanical stirrer and a three-neck RBF. I'm wondering; can this
procedure be done in a beaker with hand-stirring with a glass rod?ParadoxChem126 - 3-8-2015 at 19:03
In theory it may be feasible to perform this reaction in a beaker with hand stirring, but ultimately the reaction yield would be poor. Without
sufficient agitation, the reaction rate is considerably slower, and complete conversion to aniline is unlikely in a reasonable amount of time. An
overhead stirrer is the best way to achieve adequate mixing.
On a side note, the reaction you plan to execute requires a steam distillation. For these distillations, a two or three-neck round bottom flask is
typically employed as the main distillation flask (steam comes in one side and the vapor mixture leaves the other). However, a single-neck flask can
also be used when coupled with a Claisen adapter. What do you plan to use as a distillation vessel?
[Edited on 8-4-2015 by ParadoxChem126]DFliyerz - 3-8-2015 at 19:27
I plan to do a steam distillation by simply adding water to the flask and mixing it thoroughly while distilling.ParadoxChem126 - 3-8-2015 at 19:30
You will need a fairly large flask to contain the entire reaction mixture in addition to the extra water required to generate steam.DFliyerz - 3-8-2015 at 19:43
