Sodium Chloride → 2-(Phenylmethyl)-2-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

To a vigorously stirring suspension of p-fluorobenzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride (5.7 g, 14 mmol, Aldrich) in dry tetrahydrofuran (30 mL) at −78° C. was added 2.5 M n-butyllithium (4.7 mL, 12 mmol) in hexanes via syringe. After 30 min, the orange-yellow mixture was warmed to 0° C., and the suspension became deep red. After 5 min, 2-benzyl-2-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-6-one (1.2 g, 5.6 mmol) was added as a solution in dry tetrahydrofuran (25 mL) via cannula. Upon stirring vigorously for 2.5 hrs, the reaction was poured into saturated aqueous sodium chloride (70 mL), and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (3×70 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with saturated aqueous sodium chloride (50 mL), dried over sodium sulfate, and concentrated in vacuo. The resulting yellow solid was purified by flash chromatography (20%-70% ethyl acetate in hexanes) to yield 6-[4-fluorophenyl)methylene]-2-(phenylmethyl)-2-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (1.7 g, 99%) as a pale yellow oil. MS (ESI) 308 (M+H).

Provenance & Evidence