Acetic Acid → Ethyl benzylidenecyanoacetate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A solution of 2.55 g of benzaldehyde, 2.46 g of ethyl cyanoacetate, 0.3 ml of acetic acid and 0.3 ml of piperidine in 20 ml of dry benzene was heated under reflux for 16 hours while removing water formed during the reaction by using a molecular sieve. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate, and the organic layer was washed with a saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain 4.57 g of 2-cyano-3-phenylpropenoic acid ethyl ester as colorless crystals.

Provenance & Evidence