Water → 3-(Cyclopentyloxy)-4-methoxyphenylacetonitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzyl chloride (119 g, 0.49 mol), 120 ml of methylene chloride, KCN (70.7 g, 1.09 mol), benzyltriethylammonium chloride (35 g, 0. 015 mol) and water el20 ml) was stirred vigorously at room temperature for 48 hours when the reaction was complete by HPLC. The reaction mixture was diluted with methylene chloride and the layers were separated. The methylene chloride solution was extracted several times with water and evaporated to afford 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxyphenylacetonitrile (109 g, 95%) of sufficient purity to be used in the subsequent transformation.

Provenance & Evidence