A new strategy for the synthesis of monomethylhydrazine using the Raschig process. 1. Study of the stability of monochloramine

In this paper, we describe a new strategy developed for the synthesis of MMH using the Raschig process. For the first time, it consists in synthesizing chloramine under stoichiometric conditions which leads to a more economical process because it avoids the additional steps of extraction due to the presence of excess reagents. However, monochloramine is not very stable and, therefore, it is necessary to study its stability. The various batch tests show that the reaction must be strictly controlled. As shown from DSC analyses on stoichiometric chloramine solutions, a risk of decomposition is present from 36 °C. Thus, controlling the temperature rise requires efficient cooling in the synthesis reactor or synthesis at low temperature, in order to avoid any sudden decomposition of the synthesis solution.