An efficient, high yield method of preparation of pure fatty amides was found
through this research. from the 3 - reactant system that consists of fatty sodium soap, a
source o f ammonia (or amine) and ammonium chloride, the fatty amides were formed
when they were premixed and sealed in a glass vessel and then exposed to microwave
irradiation. Primary amides were formed from the reaction of fatty sodium soap, urea
or ammonium carbonate and ammonium chloride, whereas secondary amides were
formed from the reaction of fatty sodium soap, amines and ammonium chloride.
Primary amides successfully synthesized through this method are myristamide,
palmitamide, o leamide and stearamide, whereas secondary amides synthesized from
this method are N-butyl myristamide, N-butyl palmitamide, N-butyl stearamide, Nhexadecyl
myristamide, N-hexadecyl palmitamide, and N-hexadecyl stearamide.
Product identification was done through lR, NMR and CHN . The syntheses of
myristamide and palmitamide were optimized by varying the irradiation time, reactant
ratio and volume of reaction vessels. These optimized conditions were used for other
primary amides syntheses. It was found that the best reactant ratio (sodium soap : urea:
ammonium chloride) is 1:0.5:1 with 2.5 cm³ volume of reaction vessel when 0.5 g of
reactant mixture were irradiated for 9 minutes. In the two or three-reactant systems involving fatty acids and, or sodium soap with urea or ammonium carbonate as the
source of ammon ia, the presence or absence of ammonium chloride in these reactant
mixtures were studied. The reaction involving soaps required the three-reactant
system, where ammonium chloride is present in the reactant mixture. A kinetic study
of the synthesis of palmitamide was done. The decomposition of sodium palmitate
was found to fit first order kinetics and hence a reaction mechanism was proposed.
Palm oil soap was also used in the amide syntheses and mixtures of primary amides
were successfully synthesized from the reaction between palm oil soap, urea and
ammonium chloride