Toluene → 2-Bromo-5-(chloromethyl)pyridine

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a mechanically-stirred solution of 78.12 g of thionyl chloride in 450 mL of acetonitrile at 15° C. was added a solution of 160.75 g of 3-hydroxymethyl-6-bromopyridine in 446 mL of acetonitrile over 30 minutes. The temperature rose to 22° C. during the addition, and the reaction mixture was stirred for 15 minutes at room temperature. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath, and a solution of 70 g of NaOH in 1.4 L of water was added at such a rate that the temperature did not exceed 15° C. 603 mL of toluene was added to the mixture and stirred rapidly. The layers were separated. The aqueous phase was reextracted with toluene. The combined organic phase was concentrated in vacuo to give 181.61 g of 3-chloromethyl-6-bromopyridine.

Provenance & Evidence