Ammonia → (2S,3S)-2 ethyl-3-hydroxybutyramide

Participants

Reaction Steps

(2S,3S)-Ethyl 2 ethyl-3-hydroxybutyrate (1 gram) is dissolved in 5 ml of absolute ethanol followed by the addition of 0.5 gram of gaseous ammonia. The solution is kept in a stoppered flask, and the progress of the reaction is followed by thin layer chromatography. After the reaction is judged complete, the ethanol is evaporated and the resulting residue redissolved in ethyl acetate. Ammonia is removed by extraction with 1% HCl, and the ethyl acetate solution is dried over MgSO4, filtered, and rotary evaporated to leave 0.7 grams of (2S,3S)-2 ethyl-3-hydroxybutyramide.

Provenance & Evidence