Sodium hydride → beta-Methylamino-beta-oxo-alpha-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl) carbamoylpropionitrile

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Reaction Steps

Sodium hydride (0.82 g, 20.4 mmoles), washed with Skellysolve B, was suspended in 20 ml of dry THF and treated at 15° C. with N-methylcyanoacetamide (2.0 g, 20.4 mmoles) [prepared in Step A]. The resultant suspension was further cooled to 5° C. and 4-trifluoromethylphenyl isocyanate (3.80 g, 20.4 mmoles) was added over several minutes. After 18 h at ambient temperature the solvent was removed and the residual syrup was poured into a cold mixture of water and 4 ml of 6N HCl. The precipitate was isolated by filtration and recrystallized from ethanol to give 3.63 g of the title compound, mp 184°-186° C.

Provenance & Evidence