Methyl cyanoacetate → 2-Propenoic acid, 2-cyano-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-, methyl ester

Reaction equation

[CH3:1][O:2][C:3]1[CH:4]=[C:5]([CH:8]=[CH:9][C:10]=1[O:11][CH3:12])[CH:6]=O.[C:13]([CH2:15][C:16]([O:18][CH3:19])=[O:17])#[N:14]>N1CCCCC1.CO>[C:13]([C:15](=[CH:6][C:5]1[CH:8]=[CH:9][C:10]([O:11][CH3:12])=[C:3]([O:2][CH3:1])[CH:4]=1)[C:16]([O:18][CH3:19])=[O:17])#[N:14]

Participants

Procedure

A mixture of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde 4.15 g, 0.025 mol), methyl cyanoacetate (2.48 g, 0.025 mol), methanol (100 mL) and piperidine (10 drops) is heated at reflux for 2 hours. The reaction mixture is then cooled and the product collected by filtration, washed with methanol and dried in air (yield--6.0 g, 97%). The following structure is supported by mass spectrometry: ##STR20## The compound has an absorption maximum at 361 nm in methylene chloride.