Benzhydrylamine → 1-Benzhydrylazetidine-2-carbonitrile

Reaction equation

Br[CH:2]([CH2:5][CH2:6]Br)[C:3]#[N:4].[CH:8]([NH2:21])([C:15]1[CH:20]=[CH:19][CH:18]=[CH:17][CH:16]=1)[C:9]1[CH:14]=[CH:13][CH:12]=[CH:11][CH:10]=1.C(=O)(O)[O-].[Na+]>C(#N)C>[CH:8]([N:21]1[CH2:6][CH2:5][CH:2]1[C:3]#[N:4])([C:15]1[CH:16]=[CH:17][CH:18]=[CH:19][CH:20]=1)[C:9]1[CH:14]=[CH:13][CH:12]=[CH:11][CH:10]=1

Participants

Procedure

Reflux for 18 hours, a stirred mixture of 10 g of 2,4-dibromobutyronitrile, 7.35 g of benzhydrylamine, and 7.41 g of sodium bicarbonate in 100 ml of acetonitrile. Filter off the solids and remove the acetonitrile in vacuo. Treat the residue with ether and filter out insoluble solids. Wash the ether solution first with water, then with a solution of 5.40 g of oxalic acid in 200 ml of water, and finally with brine (saturated aqueous NaCl solution). Dry the solution over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and remove solvent in vacuo. Crystallize the solid residue from methylene chloride-hexane to obtain the analytically pure title compound, m.p. 103.5°-105.0° C.