nelsonB - 5-4-2017 at 12:50
hi
i was wondering
if i could heat glycerine + sodium bisulfate to obtain acrolein
distille it, oxydise it with sodium hypochlorite, to make acrylic acid
extract it with ethyl ether, and esterifie it.
tsathoggua1 - 5-4-2017 at 15:05
The first reaction, dehydration of glycerin using anhydrous bisulfate works. Be careful, especially during distillation. Acrolein is highly toxic, and
its also a vicious little bugger of a lachrymatory agent. I've had the pleasure, and it wasn't one;D
clearly_not_atara - 5-4-2017 at 17:00
Acrolein reacts with hypochlorite to give 2-chloro-3-hydroxypropanal or the corresponding acid. Copper sulfate/potassium tartrate/KOH might work.
But I would suggest instead forming the ester from lactic acid and dehydrating the result. This is likely to be much less unpleasant.
[Edited on 6-4-2017 by clearly_not_atara]