How to Make Succindialdehyde

Published by Kank A Falam
June 26, 2012, Category: Chemistry

Also known as butanedial, succindialdehyde is an important chemical for organic synthesis.

.It is a simple chemical structurally, but its two terminal aldehyde groups are useful for adding the ethylene group into organic molecules and building up larger structures from smaller ones. It can be considered to be the partial oxidation product of 1,4-butanediol or the partial reduction product of butanedioic acid (succinic acid), though there are more conventional and practical ways of performing its synthesis from other chemicals. Greater yields and a purer product are obtained if the starting chemical is 2,5-dimethoxyTHF, which is a heterocyclic compound that can be broken into a linear compound by employing a strong acid.

Carefully pour 400ml of 0.1M sulphuric acid into a 500ml-capacity beaker and very slowly and carefully add 44.2 grams of 2,5-dimethoxyTHF to it, gently stirring it as you do this. Keep stirring the solution for a further quarter of an hour to ensure that all of the chemical is entirely dissolved into the acid.

Cover the beaker loosely with a small flat object and leave it to stand undisturbed for at least five hours at room temperature. Try to make sure that it is left in a place where it is unlikely to be knocked over or mistaken for something else. Label the beaker and do not let anyone else, especially children or animals near it. It should not be necessary to isolate the compound as it can be used in solution.