Hydrochloric Acid → 2-Hydroxy-2-(1-benzylpyrrolidin-3-yl)acetonitrile

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Reaction Steps

To a solution of 12.45 g of crude 1-benzyl-3-formylpyrrolidine in a mixture of 23 ml of tetrahydrofuran and 23 ml of water is added 11.4 ml (2 equivalents) of concentrated hydrochloric acid and then 8.39 g (2 equivalents) of potassium cyanide powder in a period of 15 minutes under ice-cooling. The mixture is stirred at the same temperature for 2 hours, adjusted to pH 10 with 10% aqueous sodium carbonate solution, and extracted thrice with methylene chloride. The extract is washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated under reduced pressure to yield 12.05 g of 2-hydroxy-2-(1-benzylpyrrolidin-3-yl) acetonitrile.

Provenance & Evidence