[asIlaydiene]

" Hey  guys, your insight on this problem would help greatly! ETOH and any other needed reagents and solvents, outline a practical synthesis of sodium amide (NaNH2). More than one step may be required. So now if I have this right, this would require an OH to alkyl halide conversion, then using sodium metal in a solution of ether, and finally reacting the resulting  CH3CH2Na with NH3 in an acid-base reaction with hexane as the solvent: (ETOH +PBr3, then Na +ETBr +ETNa+ NH3 +hexane) Is this a reasonable/ accurate solution?”

[Dan]

Do you have to use ethanol? It is unnecessary.

I would do this and then celebrate with a beer. Not sure that counts though...

[vmelkon]

" Hey  guys, your insight on this problem would help greatly! ETOH and any other needed reagents and solvents, outline a practical synthesis of sodium amide (NaNH2). More than one step may be required. So now if I have this right, this would require an OH to alkyl halide conversion, then using sodium metal in a solution of ether, and finally reacting the resulting  CH3CH2Na with NH3 in an acid-base reaction with hexane as the solvent: (ETOH +PBr3, then Na +ETBr +ETNa+ NH3 +hexane) Is this a reasonable/ accurate solution?”

If you want to make CH3CH2Na, you could just directly react EtOH and Na metal.

[Dan]

If you want to make CH3CH2Na, you could just directly react EtOH and Na metal.

No you can't. EtOH + Na --> NaOEt + H₂, which is CH₃CH₂ONa, not CH₃CH₂Na or EtNa

[Honclbrif]

I recall that you can dissolve sodium in liquid ammonia, then a pinch of Fe(III) catalyzes the conversion to sodium amide.