[Momer]

Hi, I'm pharmacy student in my third year in the SIUST university, I'm conducting a research which is goal the synthesis of a new derivative of Amoxiciline.

The problem is; I made a mixture of 3 and 4-NitroPhthalic acid by the nitration of Phthalic acid according to the procedure in Vogel, I isolated the 3-nitrophthalic acid from the mixture as indicated in Vogel, until now every thing is fine. The remaining (4-phthalic acid) in the mother liquor can be isolated as follow ( this procedure from vogel):
"(1) The mother liquors from the washings and recrystallisations are saved for the
recovery of the 4-nitrophthalic acid. The combined mother liquors are concentrated
to a small bulk and the acid is extracted with ether. Upon esterification by
the Fischer - Speier method, the 3-nitro acid forms only the acid ester and may be
removed by shaking the product with sodium carbonate solution, whilst the neutral
ester of 4-nitrophthalic acid remains unaffected. Hydrolysis of the neutral ester
gives the pure 4-nitrophthalic acid, m.p. 165°.
(2) The acid may also be crystallised from glacial acetic acid."



After I've concentrated it to small bulk, I prepare it to extracted with ether, once I add the ether to the mixture, a vigorous reaction happened with a high continuous reddish gas production
(NO2) with high temperature.

Notes:
1. I tried to add the ether to concentrated sulfuric acid, nothing happened.
2. I tried to add it to concentrated nitric acid, nothing happened.
3. I tried add it to their mixture, the same vigorous reaction happened.
4. After the addition of a sufficient amount of ether until the reaction is stopped, two immiscible layer were formed. By extraction the ether layer, I got a bright yellow solid mass with an acetic acid like smell.
5. On another beaker, I concentrated a small amount of that mother liquor from 100ml to 10 ml, but nothing happened when I added ether, taking the ether layer I got a white solid mass without acetic acid smells.
6. To see that reaction you can download this movie.http://www.ionsclub.com/col/images/topicspic/Ether2.rar


I hope I could find what is this reaction, why It happened like that and what are the products?

If you read until here, thanks for your concern.

[KritikalMass]

Hey that was a really great post. I am sorry no one bothered to respond to your question after you went through so much trouble of making an informative, well thought out post. Hope everything turned out ok.