3,4-(Methylenedioxy)phenylacetonitrile → 2-(alpha-Cyano-3,4-methylenedioxybenzylidene)-1-methylpyrrolidine

Participants

Reaction Steps

Add (dropwise at 80°, with stirring) a solution of 3.5 g of sodium in 80 ml of ethanol to a mixture of 16.1 g of 3,4-methylenedioxybenzylcyanide and 36 g of 2-dimethylamino-1-methyl-1-pyrrolinium-methylsulfate. Continue boiling the resulting reaction mixture for a further 2 hours. Then distil off the solvent under a vacuum and take up the residue with water/diethyl ether. Collect the ethereal layer. Dry it over sodium sulfate and concentrate it to obtain 18 g (67% of theory) of the title compound as oily liquid.

Provenance & Evidence