Liquid 2-oxazolidones. I. Dielectric constants,viscosities, and other physical properties of several liquid 2-oxazolidones

Eight derivatives of 2-oxazolidone,, have been synthesized by the Homeyer method and purified by fractional freezing or fractional distillation to obtain low-conducting liquids. Dielectric constants, viscosities, densities, and refractive indices of these 2-oxazolidones have been determined at several temperatures within the range 25 to 75°C. Values for activation energies of viscous flow also have been calculated. The isomeric 3-methyl and 5-methyl derivatives of 2-oxazolidone have high dielectric constants which differ only slightly from that of water. The 3-substituted (or N-substituted) 2-oxazolidones exhibit the most favorable combination of physical properties, stability, and ease of purification and appear to have excellent potential as new nonaqueous solvents.Based on a portion of the Ph. D. dissertation of H. L. Huffman, Jr., University of Kentucky, 1972. Presented in major part at the 21 st Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Richmond, Virginia, 1969.