> chemistry > composés-halogénés > chloroacetic-acid > synthesis-of-chloroacetic-acid-madsciencemax

Synthesis of chloroacetic acid

MADscienceMAX - 2021-08-31

This video describes the synthesis of chloroacetic acid by chlorination of acetic acid

Jeremy Coughman - 2022-01-03

This was a really well done demonstration, thank you.
Did you use stoichiometric amounts of Cl2 produced to Acetic Acid?
How do you know that your product is not contaminated with di- and tri-chloro acetic acid? If you were able to chlorinate strong enough for acetyl chloride to be produced it seems that you would also have those side products?

MADscienceMAX - 2022-01-03

I used double the molar amount of chlorine needed. I wasn't able to really prove that acetyl chloride was produced, but because of the very low yield I don't believe that there were a lot of side reactions

Thy Labs - 2022-06-11

Do you happen to know if the chloroacetic acid can easily be further chlorinated to chloroacetyl chloride by adding red phosphorus after the preparation and continuing the Cl2 bubbling?

MADscienceMAX - 2022-06-12

i would rather purefy the chloroacetic acid first to get rid of residual acetic acid and then try that. It should work but you would need to dissolve it in a solvent like chloroform or melt it before bubbling the Cl2 in.

ryan s - 2022-10-21

You never say how many grams of sulphur and how many grams of gaa you used. Can U tell us?

S730SD - 2021-12-13

That's a nice set up there, lucky you :)
Good job on that, btw,

Chan Heosican - 2021-10-23

What would form if air mixed with sulfur and chlorine is that dangerous?

MADscienceMAX - 2021-10-23

You would get sulfur chlorides, which are fairly toxic

TM Fan - 2022-05-28

do u hav mechanism about sulfur catalysing it?

MADscienceMAX - 2022-05-29

Not really

Karolus 28 - 2022-01-04

what about instead of sunlight you could use an appropriate UV lamp?

MADscienceMAX - 2022-01-04

an UVA lamp would do the job, probably even better then sunlight, but always remember that normal borsilicate glas absorbs up to 300nm of light, which makes stronger UVB and UVC useless

Karolus 28 - 2022-01-04

@MADscienceMAX I wish quartz wasnt that expensive

piroDYMSUS - 2022-07-15

@Karolus 28 you can put small high pressure mercury vapor lump inside quartz testing tube and put into one of the neck of reactor flask.

spiderdude2099 - 2022-09-20

This stuff is so insanely toxic. Cool synth but HOLY SHIT I’d be so scared to attempt this

MADscienceMAX - 2022-09-20

You better be. Don't try it, I am scared of it myself, only worked with it under the fumehood, always wore my gasmask and lab coat which I cleaned afterwards and soaked the contaminated glasware in a base bath for two days. My lab still smelled like bitter almonds afterwards

spiderdude2099 - 2022-09-20

@MADscienceMAX we had some in my lab that was unlabeled and I opened it for LITERALLY a single second before thinking “maybe I shouldn’t just open this mystery chemical” and I almost fainted. And it was IN a fume hood when I opened it for that single second. I immediately tagged it for disposal

ihbarddx - 2022-01-08

Why do I want to make chloroacetic acid. Hell! If I had it, I would try to get RID of it! They burn warts off with that stuff!

MADscienceMAX - 2022-01-08

I want to make chloroacetamide

Thy Labs - 2022-06-11

@MADscienceMAX oh just saw this comment that is also my plan. What route will you use? Esterification followed by aminolysis or something else?

MADscienceMAX - 2022-06-12

@Thy Labs That is the method i am planing to use

Thy Labs - 2022-06-12

@MADscienceMAX thanks!