Hawkguy
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Formaldehyde from Hexamine
Hello. I'm getting into a project now to make Pentaerythritol from the most easily available chemicals possible. I've already made very pure Calcium
Oxide from eggshells, and I've gotten most of the way making Acetaldehyde from OTC solvents(Ethanol/ Acetone). All I need is Formaldehyde. I've tried
oxidizing Methanol with a hot copper catalyst, but it was slow, inefficient, and dangerous. I was running Methanol vapour over red hot copper, and
into water. At one point it exploded violently. Not a woosh, but an explosion. So that was that. I then found a method of making formaldehyde on
Erowid, and also in a related Sciencemadness thread. Apparently Hydrochloric Acid will make Ammonium Chloride and Formaldehyde from Hexamine and
water, in a reaction I'm assuming to be: (CH2)6N4 + 4HCl + 6H2O -> 4NH4Cl + 6CH2O. I'm asking if anyone has done this, and what they can say about
it. Or if it even works.
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PHILOU Zrealone
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You haven't read the entire sheet...
Methylamine Synthesis FAQ
You also get mostly methylamine, dimethylamine and eventually trimethylamine hydrochlorides...aside with formic acid (methanoic acid) because the
CH2=O oxydo-redox to discrete methanol and formic acid.
PH Z (PHILOU Zrealone)
"Physic is all what never works; Chemistry is all what stinks and explodes!"-"Life that deadly disease, sexually transmitted."(W.Allen)
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chemrox
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hexamine plus acid should release formaldehyde and ammonia
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
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Camroc37
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Quote: Originally posted by Hawkguy  | | Hello. I'm getting into a project now to make Pentaerythritol from the most easily available chemicals possible. I've already made very pure Calcium
Oxide from eggshells, and I've gotten most of the way making Acetaldehyde from OTC solvents(Ethanol/ Acetone). All I need is Formaldehyde. I've tried
oxidizing Methanol with a hot copper catalyst, but it was slow, inefficient, and dangerous. I was running Methanol vapour over red hot copper, and
into water. At one point it exploded violently. Not a woosh, but an explosion. So that was that. I then found a method of making formaldehyde on
Erowid, and also in a related Sciencemadness thread. Apparently Hydrochloric Acid will make Ammonium Chloride and Formaldehyde from Hexamine and
water, in a reaction I'm assuming to be: (CH2)6N4 + 4HCl + 6H2O -> 4NH4Cl + 6CH2O. I'm asking if anyone has done this, and what they can say about
it. Or if it even works. |
How did you go about getting the CaO from eggshells?
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Hawkguy
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| Quote: Originally posted by Camroc37 | | Quote: Originally posted by Hawkguy | | Hello. I'm getting into a project now to make Pentaerythritol from the most easily available chemicals possible. I've already made very pure Calcium
Oxide from eggshells, and I've gotten most of the way making Acetaldehyde from OTC solvents(Ethanol/ Acetone). All I need is Formaldehyde. I've tried
oxidizing Methanol with a hot copper catalyst, but it was slow, inefficient, and dangerous. I was running Methanol vapour over red hot copper, and
into water. At one point it exploded violently. Not a woosh, but an explosion. So that was that. I then found a method of making formaldehyde on
Erowid, and also in a related Sciencemadness thread. Apparently Hydrochloric Acid will make Ammonium Chloride and Formaldehyde from Hexamine and
water, in a reaction I'm assuming to be: (CH2)6N4 + 4HCl + 6H2O -> 4NH4Cl + 6CH2O. I'm asking if anyone has done this, and what they can say about
it. Or if it even works. |
How did you go about getting the CaO from eggshells? [/requite] I dissolved them in Hydrochloric Acid and filtered it, collecting a solution of
Calcium Chloride. I mixed the solution with another solution of sodium Hydroxide, to precipitate pure Calcium Hydroxide. I filtered and rinsed it, and
dried it (this took too much effort, the Ca(OH)2 snot was like toothpaste). I dried it in a microwave, and heated the samples in little crucibles to
about 6 or 7 hundred degrees C. It decomposes to Calcium Oxide, and would heat the hell up when I added water to a sample of the CaO on my palm.
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Hawkguy
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I did the experiment, and found that very little Formalin was produced by the Acid/ Hexamine. Most was oxidized to Formic Acid. I also made
Acetaldehyde by chlorinating Ethanol, so far the best method by far. Pentaerythritol... Still far off though
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macckone
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You can buy formaldehyde and paraformaldehyde.
Commercially formaldehyde is made by basically the same process you
described. You have to have really close regulation of the oxygen or air.
Sounds like you had too much air. It is slow and tedious if you don't
have good regulation. You also wind up with a lot of formic acid and
other by products.
ps. The main difference in the commercial production is the catalyst
and careful control of conditions.
[Edited on 18-11-2015 by macckone]
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ave369
Eastern European Lady of Mad Science
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| Quote: Originally posted by Hawkguy | | I did the experiment, and found that very little Formalin was produced by the Acid/ Hexamine. Most was oxidized to Formic Acid. I also made
Acetaldehyde by chlorinating Ethanol, so far the best method by far. Pentaerythritol... Still far off though |
Maybe, synthesize formic acid by this method (or any other, such as from glycerol and oxalic acid), neutralize it with chalk and calcine the resulting
calcium formate, which results in more formaldehyde?
[Edited on 18-11-2015 by ave369]
Smells like ammonia....
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