STUDY ON THE SYNTHESIS OF N-HYDROXYMETHYL-NICOTINAMIDE

N-Hydroxymethyl-nicoyinamide, an antimicrobic agent was prepared in good yieldby treating nicotinamide with excess of formaldehyde in the presence of potassium carbonate. The con-denaation reaction was studied under different conditions, changing the amount of formaldehyde, withdifferent kinds of bases and reaction time. The yield was 72.4% when the reaction was carried outusing 3. 0 g of nicotinamide, 5.0 ml of formaldehyde (36.8% aq. solution) and 0.03 g of potassiumcarbonate in boiling water bath for one hour. More than 5.0 ml of formaldehyde did not contribute tohigher yield. The results showed that potassium carbonate was better than other bases, and one hour ofreaction time was enough.