Benzeneacetonitrile, 3-fluoro- → Methyl 4-cyano-3-(p-fluorophenyl)-4-(m-fluorophenyl)butyrate

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Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Under protective gas (Ar), 0.767 g (5.0 mmol) of (3-fluorophenyl)acetonitrile and 0.1 ml of sodium methoxide solution (30% in methanol) were added to 0.820 g (4.55 mmol) of methyl 3-(4-fluorophenyl)acrylate in 15.0 ml of toluene, and the mixture was stirred in a closed vessel at 65° C. for 15 h. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure, the residue was taken up in ethyl acetate and the mixture was washed twice with in each case 25 ml of water. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulphate and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure. Chromatography of the residue on silica gel (ethyl acetate/heptane=20:80) gave 0.950 g (57% of theory) of the diastereomeric methyl 4-cyano-4-(3-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)butanoate (erythro:threo=54:46 according to integration of the methyl singlets in the 1H-NMR in CDCl3 at 3.66 and 3.56 ppm).

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