Colourless Liquid N Methylformamide For Organic Raw Materials

Colourless Liquid N-Methylformamide For Organic Raw Materials

N-methylformamide (MF) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) are High Production Volume (HPV) chemicals on the US HPV Challenge Program Chemical List along with around 2800 other compounds. MF and DMF have also been reported as important products in the atmospheric degradation of dimethylamine and trimethylamine, respectively. The toxicology of dimethyl and monomethyl derivatives of acetamide and formamide was recently reviewed; DMF is handled under the OECD HPV Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) Program while the test plan for MF has not yet been implemented.

Barnes et al. reviewed the scarce information on amides, presented new kinetic and product information, and outlined the photo-oxidation mechanisms for formamides and acetamides. Recently, Borduas et al. reported photo-oxidation products and kinetic data for OH reactions with five amides and presented additional mechanistic insight from quantum chemistry calculations. In short: the atmospheric gas phase chemistry of amides is not yet fully understood. The amide + OH and amide + NO₃ reactions are relatively fast (rate coefficients in the order of 10⁻¹¹ and 10⁻¹⁴ cm³ s⁻¹, respectively), and the average global lifetimes of amides with respect to reactions with OH and NO₃ radicals will be less than a few days; reactions with Cl atoms and O₃ do not constitute important sinks for amides. The gas phase UV spectra of amides are structureless and show low absorption cross-sections (<10⁻²⁰ cm²) above 270 nm. Consequently, tropospheric photolysis of amides is not an important loss process. Due to their solubility in water, uptake into droplets and subsequent deposition may be an important sink.

The present communication reports on experimental kinetic studies of MF and DMF reactions with OH radicals at atmospherically relevant temperatures and from product studies in photo-oxidation experiments of MF and DMF. The results are corroborated by high-level quantum chemical calculations and statistical rate theory.

NMF possesses excellent solvent properties that are similar to those of dimethylformamide. However, NMF appears to be much less important as an industrial solvent than dimethylformamide.

Moderately toxic by ingestion, intraperitoneal, intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous routes. An experimental teratogen. Experimental reproductive effects. An eye irritant. A very dangerous fire hazard when exposed to heat or flame. Violent reaction with benzene sulfonyl chloride. When heated to decomposition it emits toxic fumes of NOx.

Dry it over molecular sieves for 2days, then distil it under reduced pressure through a column packed with glass helices. Fractionally crystallise it by partial freezing and the solid portion is distilled in a vacuum.