Synthesis and Characterization of Acetone Hydrazones

1‐Isopropylidene‐2‐methylhydrazine ( 1 ), 1‐isopropylidene‐2‐hydroxyethylhydrazine ( 2 ) and 1‐isopropylidene‐2‐formylhydrazine ( 3 ) were synthesized by reaction of the corresponding hydrazine with an excess of acetone in the presence of a drying agent (anhydrous sodium sulfate or barium oxide). All compounds 1 – 3 were characterized by elemental analysis, coupled gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC–MS), multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N) and vibrational spectroscopy (infrared and Raman). Compounds 1 and 2 are liquid at room conditions and their density was measured by means of a picnometer, however, (at room conditions) compound 3 is a solid and its crystal density and structure were determined by low temperature X‐ray diffraction techniques (monoclinic, P2₁/n, Z = 4, a = 5.666(1) Å, b = 6.254(1) Å, c = 15.277(4) Å, β = 91.30(2)°, V = 541.2(2) ų). The structure of hydrazone 3 is discussed in detail and compared to that of monoformylhydrazine. Finally, the (gas phase) structure of compound 3 was optimized using DFT calculations (B3LYP/6‐31+G(d, p)) and its NBO charges are reported.