The Chemistry Of Azobenzene

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Azo compounds are those having R-N=N-R΄ functional group, where R and R΄ can be either aryl or alkyl. It is a derivative of Diazene (Diimide) NH=NH, where both the hydrogen replaced by hydrocarbonyl group e.g PhN=NPh (Azobenzene or diphenyldiazene). The N=N is called as azo group. As a consequence of π – delocalization phenyl azo compounds have vivid colour like red, yellow and orange, due to this, it is used as a dye and known as azo dye [3]. Azo compounds have been incorporated into a wide variety of materials and molecular architectures, dendrimers, polymers and molecular glasses. Due to clean and efficient photochemical isomerisation and substantial change in material properties during light irradiation it has been investigated as an active …show more content…

[10, 11] 1.5 Synthesis of Azo compounds There are many methods available for the synthesis of azo compounds but the classical methods for the synthesis of azo compounds are azo coupling reaction (coupling of Diazonium salt with activated aromatic compounds), Wallach reaction (transformation of azoxybenzenes in to 4-hrdroxy substituted in acid media), and Mills reaction (reaction between aromatic nitroso derivative and aniline), which are mostly used in the present investigation as well. a) Azo coupling reaction Most of the azobenzenes are obtained by this reaction. The methodology is based upon the initial diazotization of an aromatic primary amine at low temperature around 0-5 oC to form diazonium salt, which then reacts with electron rich aromatic nucleophile. Reaction times are usually short for this method and expected yields are usually high. Diazonium salts are weak electrophiles that react with the electron rich species, such as substituted arenes having electron donor group like amine and hydroxyl to give desire azobenzene derivatives. (Fig.1) Normally such type of substitution takes place at the para position to the electron donor group on the activated aromatic ring, acting as a nucleophile. When the position is already occupied then substitution takes place at ortho position. …show more content…

The aromatic nitroso derivatives can be prepared by oxidation of aromatic methyl hydroxylamine and with tert-butyl hypochlorite. This type of reaction is so fast and carried out at very low temperature around – 78 oC with high dilution to prevent over oxidation. The reaction between nitroso derivatives with aniline leads to the azobenzenes with good yield. Instead of tert-butyl hypochlorite, many other oxidising agents used for the formation of nitroso derivatives like ferric chloride, Caro’s acid (H2SO5), sodium or potassium dichromate and sulphuric acid, acetic acid/H2O2, m-chloroperbenzoic acid, potassium permanganate, ferricchloride, diethyl azodicarboxylate, iodine/NaI/NaOAc, silver carbonate, (diacetoxyiodo)benzene, 2,3-dichloro-5,6- dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) and peroxyformic acid also. Oxone are efficient to form nitroso arenes, which condense with aniline to form azobenzene in good yield (Fig 3). The mechanism of Mills reaction involves the attachment of aniline on the nitroso derivatives in acid media that leads to

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