2-(2-Bromo-4,5-dimethoxy-benzyl)isoindole-1,3-dione → 2-(1,3-Dioxo-1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-ylmethyl)-4,5-dimethoxy-benzonitrile

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Reaction Steps

A mixture of 2-(2-bromo-4,5-dimethoxy-benzyl)isoindole-1,3-dione (26.63 g, 0.07079 mol) and copper (I) cyanide (12.7 g, 0.1416 mol) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (266 mL) was heated to reflux for 18 h under nitrogen. The resulting mixture was concentrated in vacuo and the resulting residue stirred with a mixture of chloroform (250 mL) and water (250 mL) for 30 min. The resulting suspension was filtered through CELITE and the layers separated. The organic layer was extracted with brine (2×), dried over MgSO4, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The resulting solid was crystallized from methylene chloride/methanol (500 mL) to yield 2-(1,3-dioxo-1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-ylmethyl)-4,5-dimethoxy-benzonitrile as a white solid.

Provenance & Evidence