Quantitative Hydrolysis of Sodium Cyclamate and Calcium Cyclamate to Cyclohexylamine, Followed by Colorimetric Analysis

The hydrolysis of sodium cyclamate to cyclohexylamine was studied in aqueous 1.3N HCl at 125° C (15 psi). The rate of hydrolysis is first order in cyclamate, with a half time of 1.17 hours. Using sodium hydroxide to adjust the pH of the hydrolysis solution to 12, cyclohexylamine was extracted into chloroform and reacted with ethano-lic p-quinone (60° C for 2 hours) to form 2-(cyclohexyl-amine)-l,4-benzoquinone which was determined spec-trophotometrically at 493 m_µ. Sodium cyclamate and calcium cyclamate yielded average recoveries of 99.9 ± 2.1% and 99.7 ± 0.8%, respectively, compared to a cyclohexylamine standard.