Allyl Hydroperoxide

     Allyl hydroperoxide can also be called 2-propenyl hydroperoxide. This extremely unstable compound must be kept away from all forms of heat and friction. A small amount of rather excessive precautions, namely a red light are quite necessary. This compound is stable under UV light but normal light can be hazardous. Like all explosive peroxides, this one does not want to exist for long. I would suggest keeping it refrigerated and in the dark to avoid an untimely detonation.

CHEMICALS	APPARATUS
allyl methanesulfonate	beaker
ethyl ether	Erlenmeyer flask
hydrogen peroxide	graduated cylinder
methyl alcohol	pipet/buret
potassium hydroxide	thermometer
water

     Prepare a solution of 10.8 g of allyl methanesulfonate and 40 mL of 30% hydrogen peroxide dissolved in 30 mL of methyl alcohol in a small beaker. Prepare a second solution of 10.1 g of potassium hydroxide dissolved in 10.1 mL of water, cool this solution to 0 °C and keep it in a salt-ice bath. With extreme caution, add the allyl methanesulfonate solution by dropwise addition to an Erlenmeyer flask containing the potassium hydroxide solution in the salt-ice bath using a dropper pipet or a buret. The addition must be completed in a room illuminated with one of those darkroom red lights as other light will cause the allyl hydroperoxide to explode, a safer bet would be to cover all glassware with aluminum foil to keep out all light. The product is purified by vacuum distillation followed by extraction with ethyl ether. It can be further purified by liquid chromatography. The yield is quite low, 58 mg after chromatographic distillation. You will need a graduated cylinder to measure liquids and a thermometer to check the temperature.

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