| Abstract: | Some comments on the syntheses of 5-amino-m-xylene-2-sulfonic acid and 5-amino-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid Treatment of 5-amino-m-xylene ( 1 ) with oleum led to a 55:45 mixture of 5-amino-m-xylene-2-sulfonic acid ( 2 ) and 5-amino-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid ( 3 ). The structure of both isomers was proven by reaction of sulfur dioxide with the diazonium chlorides derived from 2-amino-5-nitro-m-xylene ( 5 ) and 4-amino-5-nitro-m-xylene ( 8 ) giving 5-nitro-m-xylene-2-sulfonyl chloride ( 6 ) and 5-nitro-m-xylene-4-sulfonyl chloride ( 9 ) respectively, followed by hydrolyses to the corresponding sulfonic acids 7 and 10 , and final Béchamp reductions. The sulfonic acid 2 was also prepared by sulfonation of 5-acetylamino-m-xylene ( 4 ) to 5-acetylamino-m-xylene-2-sulfonic acid ( 11 ) and subsequent hydrolysis. A further procedure for the synthesis of 3 was sulfonation of 5-amino-2-chloro-m-xylene ( 12 ) – prepared by Béchamp reduction of 2-chloro-5-nitro-m-xylene ( 13 ) – or of 5-amino-2-bromo-m-xylene ( 15 ) – prepared by bromination of 4 and subsequent hydrolysis – to 5-amino-2-chloro-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid ( 16 ) and 5-amino-2-bromo-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid ( 17 ) respectively, followed by hydrogenolysis. |
