Nitrosation of Dimethylamine with Dinitrogen Trioxide

A two-step procedure for preparing N-nitrosodimethylamine by direct nitrosation of aqueous solutions of dialkylamines with dinitrogen dioxide was suggested. The first step involves preparation of dialkylammonium nitrite, and in the second step, on heating to 70–90°С in a weakly acidic solution, it transforms into N-nitrosodialkylamine. The yield of N-nitrosodialkylamines is 95–98% based on the converted dialkylamine. A low-waste process for N-nitrosodimethylamine production was developed.