REDUCCION DE P NITROACETANILIDA

Tools: A 10000L capacity M.S.R.L.T., jacketed Kettle equipped with a Finguretype

agitator driven by a 5 H.P., 3-phase, closed Electric motor connected with a Reduction-
gear to give 60/40 rpm speeds to the agitator. The Kettle is further provided with a
manhole, a direct Steam-line, a leading to the Filter Press.

Check tool.

In the Reduction Kettle, charge:

1800 L of water or wash-water from the previous batch. Start agitator at a speed of 60
rpm. Then charge

665 Kg of iron Filings, over and above the iron left from the previous batch. Pass direct
steam and heat the charge to 90°C, then add to it.

50 Kg of as is 85% Acetic Acid. Stir the charge at the boiling temperatura of 98-100°C
and etch the iron for about ¾ to 1 hour.

Note: If HCl is used in place of Acetic acid, the reaction mass shows considerable
foaming during the course of reduction.

Now reduce the speed of agitation to 40 rpm. Then over a period of about 6 hours,
charge in 15 Kg lots at a time, a total quantity of 695 kg real p-NitroAcetanilide (M.Wt.
180) as acid- free, centrifuged wet cakes. (About 50-60% Solid contents).

Note: The p- NitroAcetanilide used for the manufactured of p-AminoAcetanilide

must be practically washed neutral to Congo Red papers. Use of acidic p-Nitro-
Acetanilide gives a bad quality of the Amino compound and also lowers the yield.
Preferably the Melting Point of a washed and dried p-NitroAcetanilide sample
should come in the range of 210-222°C.

The reaction is exothermic and the reaction mass foams badly at the time of each
addition of the nitro compound. During the course of entire reduction, frequently test
the presence of soluble iron as per the following test:

Test: Cross- spot a drop of the reduction mass on a piece of filter paper with a drop of a
clear 5% Sodium sulfide solution. Appearance of a dark-black line at the junction of the
two spots denotes the sufficiency of soluble iron.

If necessary, small corrective quantity of 85% Acetic acid may be added to maintain the
soluble iron in the batch, throughout the reduction.

Continue the reduction at the reflux temperature of 98-100°C, keeping the reflux Vent
line open to the atmosphere.
After the addition of Nitro compound is over, stir the batch further for 2½ hours at the
reflux temperature of 98-100°C
The foaming completely subsides at the end of the 2 ½ hour reduction period.
Draw about 500 ml of the batch sample in a 1 L beaker and allow it to settle.
Test the liquid for a positive test for Soluble Iron.
Clear and colourless supernatent liquor denotes the completion of reduction.

The reduction is usually complete at the end of the 2½ hour reduction period.
Measure volume of the batch and adjust it to 4800 L at 95- 98°C

Note: If dried p-Nitro-Acetanilide is used instead of Wet Cake, the volume of the batch
at the end of reduction is correspondingly low. In this case, the volume of the batch
filtration must be adjusted to 500L to prevent the loss of some undissolved amine going
into the filter-sludge.

PRECIPITATION OF SOLUBLE IRON

Prepare a slurry of 34 Kgs of real Magnesium Oxide in 100 L of water in a

suitable vessel.
Shake this slurry well and add it to the Reduction mass of the batch.
Stir the batch for 10 -15 minutes to enable the dissolved iron to precipitate
out completely.
Cross-spot a drop of the batch sample on a piece of filter paper against a
drop of 5% clear.
Sodium sulfide solution. Development of no black or brown line at the
junction of the two spots indicates that the precipitation of Soluble iron in
the batch is complete.
Then add to the batch 50 kgs of as is 40% w/w Sodium Bisulfite solution
corresponding to 20 kgs of real sodium bisulfite.
Stir for 5 minutes and add 12 Kgs od Sodium Hydrosulfite as powder.
Stir the batch for 10 minutes.
Blow the batch throught the pre-heated blow-out line to the Filter Press
and filter the batch hot.
Receive the clear batch filtrate into the Isolation Vessel.
Then rinse the Reduction Kettle twice, each time with 900 L of water.
Stir and steam each of the two washings to 90-95°C. Pass these hot
washings through the Filter Press and receive both the washing filtrates
alongwith the main batch filtrate in the Isolation Vessel.
Finally, take 1800 L of water in the Reduction kettle. Stir and steam to 90-
95°C. Pass the washing water through the Filter Press to further wash the
Iron-sludge. Receive this clear washing filtrate in a suitable container or
black into the Reduction Vessel for using as starting water in the
subsequent batch. Neutralise the little alkalinity present in this washing
filtrate with about 5-6 Kgs of as is 85% Acetic Acid to a faint Congo test.
The iron-sludge from Filter Press is discarded.

ISOLATION

Tools: A 10000L capacity M.S.R.L. Kettle equipped with a Spade-type

Agitator driven by a 5 HP, 3 phase, closed Electric motor connected with a
a Reduction-gear to give 40/20 rpm speeds to the agitator. The Kettle is
further equipped with a portable SS-Cooling Coil, a manhole, a Vent-line, a
Pressure-gauge a temperature-recorder and a blow-out line leading to the
Nutsche Filter.

Measure volume of the main batch filtrate and initial washing collected in
this Kettle and adjust to 7000 L at 80-85°C.

Start agitator at a speed of 40 rpm. Charge in it 25 Kgs of as is 40% w/w

Sodium Bisulfite solution corresponding to 10 Kg of real Sodium Bisulfite.
Stir for 10 minutes.
Then charge in it uniformly over a period of 2 hours 2100 Kgs of Common
Salt.

Stir at 80-85°C for ½ hour after addition of the Salt. Reduce the speed of
agitation to 20 rpm. Start circulation of cooling water in the Cooling Coil and
cool the batch gradually to 15-18°C over a period of 15 hours.

Stir the batch for 1 hour more at 15-18°C. The p-Amino-Acetanilide is

precipitated in a fine form. The pH of the batch slurry is in the range of 5.9
– 6.3. Filter the precipitated product through the Nutsche Filter. Rinse the
Isolation Kettle with about 200 L of the M.L. and pass it into the Nutsche.

Measure density of the M.L. it will be about 22-23 deb Be’.

Determine the loss of p-Amino-Acetanilide in the M.L. with a Nitrite titre on

M.Wt. 150; it should not show a liquor loss over 1-1.2% as real p-Amino-
Acetanilide.

Note: If the pH of the M.L. is lowered from 5.9 by acidification, an extra

quantity of about 12-15 Kgs of p-Amino-Acetanilide may be recovered. But
this product is of inferior quality and also since this recovery is
uneconomical, the M.L. is discarded to drains without making any recovery.

Suck the M.L. well.

Dump the Nutsche cakes.
Centrifuge the Nutsche cakes as dry as possible.
Weigh the centrifuged nutsche cakes and record.

YIELD

Weight of centrifuged Nutsche cakes, =Approx. 600-650 Kgs; containing 80-

85% real p-Amino-Acetanilide (M.Wt. 150)
= 500 Kgs of real p-Amino-Acetanilide (M.Wt. 150)
= 86.3% of Theory on charge of real p-Nitro-Acetanilide