In this process hydrogen peroxide is used as an oxidant instead of sodium hypochlorite, which is traditionally used to generate hydrazine.
This mixture does not react with ammonia directly but does so in the presence of methyl ethyl ketone to give the oxaziridine.
[2] Methyl ethyl ketone is advantageous to acetone because the resulting ketazine is immiscible in the reaction mixture and can be separated by decantation.
It is also endothermic,[4] and so requires an increase in temperature (and pressure) to shift the equilibrium in favour of the desired products: ketone (which is recycled) and hydrazine hydrate.
[6] Methyl ethyl ketone is advantageous because the resulting ketazine is immiscible in the reaction mixture and can be separated by decantation.