Substituted sodium amides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RAPIDLY PREPARING SODIUM AMIDES COMPRISING REACTING IN A MEDIUM IN WHICH SAID AMIDE IS INSOLUBLE, A DISPERSION OF FINELY DIVIDED METALLIC SODIUM PARTICLES WITH AN AMINE HAVING AT LEAST ONE HYDROGEN ATOM BONDED TO AN AMINO NITROGEN ATOM AND SELECTED FROM THE CLASS SCONSISTING OF ALKYL AMINES, PHENYL AMINES LOWER ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED PHENYL AMINES, CYCLIC AMINES SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CYCLOHEXYL AND LOWER ALKYL SUBSTITUTED CYCLOHEXYL AMINES AND HETEROCYCLIC AMINES SELECTED FROM THE CLASS OF PYRIDINE AND PIPERIDINE AMINES, THE SODIUM PARTICLES BEING FROM ABOUT 1 TO 50 MICRONS IN SIZE AND CONSTITUTING BETWEEN ABOUT 10 AND 65 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE DISPERSION, THE REACTION MIXTURE CONSISTING OF SAID SODIUM,SAID AMINE, A CONJUGATED POLYENE HYFROGEN ACCEPTOR, AND A DILUENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF INERT LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND AN EXCESS OF SAID AMINE, THE REACTION BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 35*C. AND -20*C. FOR A PERIOD UP TO ABOUT 25 MINUTES TO FORM THE SODIUM AMIDE AS A SOLID INSOLUBLE IN THE REACTED MIXTURE, AND THE INSOLUBLE SOLID PRODUDCT IS MECHANICALLY SEPARATED FROM THE REACTED MIXTURE.