In a
3-l. round-bottomed flask, fitted with a very
efficient mechanical stirrer (Note
1), a
reflux condenser, and a
500-cc. separatory funnel, are placed
445 g. (5.5 moles) of sodium thiocyanate (Note
2) and
1250 cc. of 90 per cent ethyl alcohol. The stirrer is started and the mixture is heated to boiling. Then
615 g. (5 moles) of isopropyl bromide (
p. 359;
Org. Syn. Coll. Vol. I, 1941, 37) is added slowly during the course of one hour. The mixture is refluxed with stirring for six hours. At the end of this time the precipitated
sodium bromide is removed by filtration and washed with
250 cc. of 95 per cent alcohol. As much of the alcohol as possible is then removed by distillation on the steam bath. To the residue in the flask is added 500 cc. of water, and the upper layer of
isopropyl thiocyanate is separated. The aqueous layer is extracted with two
100-cc. portions of ether (Note
3). The
ether extracts are added to the crude thiocyanate, and the combined product is dried over anhydrous
sodium sulfate (Note
4). The dried material is fractionated twice from a
modified Claisen flask with a 25-cm. fractionating column. The following fractions are collected: up to 60°; 60–100°; 100–130°; 130–146°; and 146–151°. The last fraction contains the pure product. The yield is
320–345 g. (
63–68 per cent of the theoretical amount). By redistilling the alcohol that was removed on the steam bath through an
efficient fractionating column (Note
5) until all the alcohol is removed (Note
6), separating the water, and distilling, there is obtained an additional
55–65 g. of product boiling at
146–151°. The total yield is
385–400 g. (
76–79 per cent of the theoretical amount). On redistillation of the combined fractions boiling at 146–151°, practically the entire amount distils at
149–151°.