Water → 1-Benzyl-1H-indole-5-carbonitrile

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Reaction Steps

5-Cyanoindole (1.0 g, 7.0 mmol) was dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide (14 mL) and cooled in an ice-water bath. Sodium hydride (0.31 g, 60%, 7.8 mmol) was added, and the resulting suspension was stirred for 30 min. Benzyl chloride (0.85 mL, 0.94 g, 7.4 mmol) was added, and the cooling was discontinued. The stirring was continued for 65 hours at room temperature. Water (150 mL) was added, and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate (3×25 mL). The combined organic phases were washed with brine (30 mL) and dried with sodium sulfate (1 hour). Filtration and concentration yielded the crude material. Purification by flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with ethyl acetate/heptanes=1:3 afforded 1.60 g 1-benzyl-1H-indole-5-carbonitrile.

Provenance & Evidence