Malononitrile → [(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)methylidene]propanedinitrile

Participants

Reaction Steps

A suspension of malononitrile (7.52 g) and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (18.95 g) in ethanol (100 ml) was warmed to reflux temperature with stirring. The orange solution was removed from the heat and piperidine (0.5 ml) added down the condenser. Once the vigorous reaction had subsided, the reaction mixture was reheated to reflux temperature and this maintained for 35 minutes. Copious quantities of a bright yellow solid had appeared by this time. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath for 10 minutes and the yellow solid filtered off, washed with ethanol and ether and dried in vacuo at 70° C. yielding 3,4-dimethoxy benzylidenemalononitrile, m.p.137° C.

Provenance & Evidence