Formation of nitrosamines in alkaline conditions: a kinetic study of the nitrosation of linear and cyclic secondary amines by nitroalkanes

A study has been made of the nitrosation of sixteen secondary amines, six alkylamines (dimethylamine, diethylamine, dipropylamine, diisopropylamine, dibutylamine, diisobutylamine) and ten cyclic secondary amines (2-methylaziridine, azetidine, pyrrolidine, piperidine, 2-methylpiperidine, homopiperidine, heptamethyleneimine, piperazine, 1-methylpiperazine and morpholine) by nitropropane and nitrobutane in a strongly basic medium ([OH–]= 0.1 mol dm–3). The nitrites were not formed in situ(i.e. in the actual bulk of the reaction medium) but rather were isolated, purified and used in pure form. The rate equation (i) was found. v=k2obs[amine][nitrite](i)