Sodium Cyanide → 1-Naphthalenecarbonitrile, 3,4-dihydro-6-methoxy-

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 1.3 g of dry AlCl3, 0.64 g of dry NaCN, and 87 mg of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) in 8.7 ml of dry nitrobenzene (NB) was stirred for two hours under a nitrogen atmosphere. Then 1.53 g of 6-methoxytetralone (6-MT) were added to provide a reaction mixture containing the 6-MT, NaCN, and AlCl3 in a mol ratio of 1/1.5/1.1 and containing 5.6% of TBAB, based on the weight of 6-MT. The reaction mixture was stirred at 90° C. for 10 hours to form 6-methoxy-1-cyano-3,4-dihydronaphthalene (6-MCDN). After workup the VPC ratio of 6-MT/6-MCDN was determined to be 8/92. The process resulted in an 85% isolated yield of 6-MCDN.

Provenance & Evidence