Acetonitrile → 1-Cyano-2-(cyanomethyl)-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 1.05 mL (7.5 mmol) of diisopropylamine in 10 mL of THF at -78° C., under a nitrogen atmosphere, was added n-butyllithium (2.2 mL of a 2.5M solution in THF, 5.5 mmol) and the resultant solution was stirred at -78° C. for 40 min. To the stirred solution was added, dropwise over a 25 minute period, a solution of 274 μL (5.25 mmol) of acetonitrile in 5 mL of THF. The solution was stirred for 20 min at -78° C. and then a solution of 926 mg (5 mmol) of 1-cyano-6-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalene (the product of Step 2 of Example 1) in 5 mL of THF was added via syringe pump over a 20 min period. The reaction mixture then allowed to warm to ambient temperature and was stirred at ambient temperature for 1 h and then the reaction was quenched by pouring the reaction mixture into and then the reaction was quenched by pouring the reaction mixture into saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution. The layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel eluted with 25% ethyl acetate in hexane to give 840 mg (74% yield) of the title compound as a 1:1 mixture of the cis and trans isomers; MS DCl--NH3M/Z: 244 (M+H)+.

Provenance & Evidence