N,N-Dibenzylhydroxylamine

white to slightly yellow adhering crystalline

N,N-Dibenzylhydroxylamine, upon oxidation, yields N-benzyl-α-phenylnitrone, which can undergo cycloaddition reaction with suitable dipolarophiles. It can be used to synthesize N,N,O-trisubstituted hydroxylamines and arylamines.

A mixture of 14 gm (0.202 mole) of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and 50 gm (0.395 mole) of benzyl chloride in 200 ml of 70% ethanol is treated with 60 gm of crystalline sodium carbonate. The mixture is heated under a reflux condenser for 2 hr, cooled to room temperature, filtered, and the solids discarded. The filtrate is treated with sufficient ice water to cause precipitation of A^N-dibenzylhydroxylamine. The reaction mixture is then thoroughly cooled in a freezing mixture to permit complete precipitation of product to take place. The yield, upon filtration, is 26 gm (61.5%), m.p. 123°C. A similar preparation has recently been reported [13a].