Ammonia → (R)-2-benzyl-4-hydroxybutyramide

Participants

Reaction Steps

(R)-2-benzylbutyrolactone (1 gram) was dissolved in 5 ml of absolute ethanol, followed by the addition of 0.5 gram of gaseous ammonia. The solution was kept in a stoppered flask, and the progress of the reaction was followed by thin layer chromatography (eluent dichloromethane/methanol 20:1). After the reaction was judged complete, the ethanol was evaporated and the resulting residue redissolved in ethyl acetate. Ammonia was removed by extraction with 1% HCl, and the ethyl acetate solution was dried over MgSO4, filtered, and rotary evaporated to leave 0.7 grams of (R)-2-benzyl-4-hydroxybutyramide.

Provenance & Evidence